Warrior of Narnia: Reawakening
by Kai-Rhiannon
Summary: SEQUEL TO WARRIOR OF NARNIA: THE HEART OF THE WARRIOR! Read that first! When the last Guardians disappeared no one new was chosen. Now, centuries have passed & Narnia is falling into chaos. Between this, and the re-appearance of an old enemy, along with some new ones, can King Caspian's royal advisor, Ava Rydia, find new Guardians before all is lost? Re-edited/re-posted!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** As usual, I own _**nothing**_ Narnia related. Only Ava Rydia is mine. As I create new characters, I will add them to the disclaimer. There will be a playlist for this story; I do not own the songs used. This isn't a crossover story, though it will have elements from various other things such as _Elder Scrolls_ , _Game of Thrones_ , _World of Warcraft_ , _Tangled_ , _Frozen_ , and _Brave_. I do _**not**_ own anything from any of those aforementioned works of art. If I did, I'd be rich enough to live in my own Cair Paravel.

 **Author's Note:** Well, I'm finally going to try making a sequel to _Warrior of Narnia: the Heart of the Warrior_. Let's see how it goes!

* * *

Prologue

" _Aslan is most known for being the one who created Narnia through song. Narnia is not the only land he created, however; he created all of the lands accessible through the pools in the Wood Between Worlds. Even with his mighty power, he knew that he could not be in every world at once—at least not physically—so he decided to appoint someone to watch over the worlds when he could not be there._

" _The first Guardians were only meant to observe things; interfering only if things began to stray too far from their intended outcome; the job was made to be more of a guide, occasionally giving people a gentle nudge in the right direction._

" _Aslan soon decided to gift the Guardians with power over the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and light (also called spirit or energy) so that they may keep the worlds balanced._

" _Originally, the Great Lion only created one Guardian for each of the worlds he created (the ones that had not died already); one person with power over war, justice, life (and death), and emotion as well as each of the five elements._

" _Not long after their creation, the position was given more power in order to help protect those they were charged with guiding._

" _Unfortunately, the first Guardians all went mad from the power that had been thrust upon them. Some began laying waste to their assigned worlds, some ended their own lives, and others simply became catatonic for the rest of their existence._

" _It was then decided that the power and responsibility of Guardian would be split between multiple people for each world. This began the cycle in which two individuals would be chosen, each having powers that would balance, or complement, the other. After one hundred years of duty, the Guardians would step down from their positions, relinquishing their magic, so that they may grow old and die and the next generation could be chosen. Each generation would cycle through different elements in order to keep things balanced._

" _This is the way it has been since the beginning; they protect and guide those who rule, resigned to being obscured from songs and history books, even though the outcome of history itself depends upon their very existence, until this writing._

" _No one is quite sure how Guardians are chosen; all that is known is that the next generation is only called when the previous one has willingly stepped down. There are many theories as to how the Great Lion has done this, but none have been confirmed._

" _In all the centuries since Narnia's creation, there has never been a time without Guardians. Scholars are unsure of how the world would be affected if this were ever to happen, but all agree that things would become catastrophic; a world without Guardians would more than likely implode._

" _It is believed that, in order for someone to bring about such a time, one would have to disrupt the Guardian cycle. Such a thing would require keeping the current Guardians from surrendering their powers, while incapacitating them—or killing them—to remove them from their role. Since people who are chosen stop aging when they receive their magic and, at the height of their power, are all but invincible, this would prove nearly impossible._ " ~ The Guardians' Scroll

* * *

 _After Caspian X became king he set out in search of the descendants of King Tyler and Queen Elizabeth, in hopes of giving up the throne of Narnia to its rightful heirs. His efforts were fruitless._

 _On his journey back to the newly-renovated Cair Paravel, he and his party stumbled across a young woman. She was not dressed in any attire they had ever seen and she could not remember anything but her name: Ava Rydia._

 _The new king was very taken with her and offered her refuge in the palace until more could be learned about her origins. It was not long before she began to show a knack for fast learning; she was able to master things such as diplomacy, strategy, and the etiquette expected of royalty as well as more physical pursuits such as horseback riding, dance, and archery._

 _Because of this, Caspian insisted on giving her a seat on his council, despite still having no knowledge of her origins. Ava accepted and was given a permanent home in Cair Paravel._

 _Over the course of a year, the two became incredibly close friends, with the king even suggesting marriage at one point, to no avail._

 _This story begins immediately after the defeat of the Northern Giants as Caspian, Ava, and the soldiers are returning home. …_


	2. Earthquake

**Disclaimer:** Again, the only thing I own is Ava Rydia.

 **Author's Note:** The Guardians _must_ be human (which means they could also be Telmarine, Calormene, Archenlander, or Narnian as long as they're human). This story takes place in the Narnian year 2304. Also, I love good food, so I will probably go into some detail with scenes involving it. Most of the food mentioned is based off of recipes from the _A Feast of Ice and Fire_ cookbook (which I have a copy of but do not own the rights to!).

 **Songs for this chapter:** _We are the Champions_ by Queen

 _Elements_ by Lindsey Stirling

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Earthquake**

Soldiers marched toward Cair Paravel in the rain; their plate and leather armor squeaked, their chainmail jingled and chafed against their wet skin and their wounds, but no one cared. They were tired and sore, but they had won the battle against the Northern Giants and were headed home. At the front were King Caspian X and his advisor, and confidante, Lady Ava Rydia, both on horseback.

When Cair Paravel came into sight, the army paused momentarily to bask in its beauty and splendor. Though the sun was hidden behind the clouds the creamy marble that made up the palace and the walls of each tier of the city seemed to glitter radiantly. For a moment, there seemed to be a break in the rain.

"Ah, home," Caspian said with a happy sigh. "It will be nice to sit in front of a warm fire in some dry garments."

"What? You don't enjoy standing in muddy battlefields under pouring rain, Caspian?" Ava jested with a smirk. The king thought about sticking his tongue out at her, but decided it would be inappropriate to do in front of other people.

"I'm not particularly fond of it, no," he replied simply. Ava grinned, knowing he had no better retort for the moment.

"Personally, I'm looking forward to eating more than salted pork with nuts and dried berries," she said after a moment. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of the food that would be prepared for their return and she wrinkled her nose in discomfort.

"On that, we agree! I can almost taste the feast now!" Caspian responded eagerly.

Ava became lost in thought, wondering what she would eat that evening. She imagined the chef would make all of her and Caspian's favorites. How she longed for the juicy flesh of a fattened goat (non-talking of course), cooked over a spit with honey, lemongrass, and firepods! It was approaching autumn, so squash would be perfect for picking and spicing. The woman's mouth began to water all the more when she thought of the lemon cakes she would no doubt have too many of after the main course was finished. All of this would, of course, be paired with only the finest honeyed wine, or perhaps a warm cup of milk-tea imported from Calormen.

Ava's time in Cair Paravel had certainly had its perks, especially when it came to good food. She had quickly discovered what she loved and hated when Caspian had taken her in. Remembering this caused a frown to appear on her face; after a year, she still had no idea who she was, save her name, or where she came from. She wondered if her tastes were typical where she was from and felt a bit melancholy knowing she would never find out.

Caspian had searched all of Narnia, Archenland, and Calormen for Ava's origins, but found absolutely nothing regarding his advisor's parentage or home. He still felt as though he had not done all he could, but Ava always insisted that there was nothing more to be done.

Raindrops began to sprinkle on the army again and the king looked to the sky, his nose wrinkled with disdain.

"It couldn't have waited a few moments more?" he groused. Ava snorted at him.

"Not even the weather bows to the king's whim, Caspian," she said.

"If it did, it would always be pleasant and sunny, only raining when everyone is asleep in their beds," the king replied.

"That would be lovely," his advisor replied. She paused for a moment before saying, "You know, it has been quite stormy as of late, even for this time of year."

"I have noticed," the king replied, pursing his lips. "You know, Cornelius used to tell me stories of people called Guardians who acted as protectors and guides for those in power. He said they had great power over the elements, so much so that the weather would often be in tune with their moods."

"The Guardians must be very put out then," Ava said humorously.

"That's just the thing though! As far as anyone knows, there have not been any Guardians in power since the reign of King Tyler and Queen Elizabeth," Caspian said, his voice becoming low and mysterious. Ava wondered if he was jesting with her.

"Did they not have children to inherit their titles?" she asked, one of her auburn eyebrows arched quizzically.

"Oh they had children, and those children had children, and so on, but you see, Ava, Guardian power is _not_ inherited. All anyone knows is that Guardians are chosen after the previous ones step down," Caspian answered.

"Did the king and queen refuse to step down?" Ava asked, her brow furrowed.

"No one is sure. They disappeared just as the Pevensie kings and queens before them had. Not even their children knew where they popped off to," Caspian explained.

* * *

The rest of the ride to Cair Paravel was spent in silence as Ava had become lost in thought. What Caspian had said about the Guardians of old had ignited a thirst for knowledge within her that was always lingering in the back of her mind. She wondered why no new Guardians had been chosen and what the consequences of such a thing would be.

At last they reached the gates of the city. Lovers, children, and the elderly came rushing forward to congratulate the soldiers on their victory and reunite with their loved ones. There were soldiers embracing their children and kissing their lovers, all with tears of joy in their eyes. Caspian and Ava greeted their subjects as they rode to the castle, smiling at the joyful scene unfolding around them, their discomfort from the rain and hunger temporarily forgotten.

The two were greeted at the door to the castle by Trufflehunter and Reepicheep, who had also been given seats on the council with Ava.

The king and the advisor dismounted their horses, which were taken by servants to be groomed, fed, and brought to the stables.

"Ah, 'tis good to see you return—and looking quite well for those who just came from battle!" Trufflehunter said, bowing his head respectfully. Ava, abandoning social rules for the moment, bent down and gave the badger a hug.

"It is good to see you as well, Trufflehunter. How have things been here in Narnia?" she asked as she bent down to Reepicheep, who felt that hugging royalty was disrespectful, but did give hand (or paw) shakes.

"It hasn't been nearly as exciting here as the battle must have been, milady. Please, regale me with tales of the battlefield! What did I miss?" Reepicheep asked eagerly, trying to refrain from bouncing with excitement. Caspian chuckled.

"We will tell you everything as soon as we've had time to settle in," he answered.

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I'll arrange to have supper served in an hour, and we shall converse then," Trufflehunter said, turning and entering the castle, followed by Reepicheep, Caspian, and Ava.

* * *

Ava sat at her dresser, running a brush through her freshly washed hair. It felt good to be clean and in comfortable clothing again. Her room was located in the east wing of the castle, overlooking the Eastern Sea, and was decorated in different shades of purples from lavender to indigo. Tapestries depicting dancing water nymphs and mermaids decorated the walls and almost everything in the bathroom was encrusted with seashells and mother of pearl. The view from the balcony was quite lovely; it was the reason she chose the room.

Although she seemed calm, truthfully, she had been feeling strange since her conversation with Caspian about the Guardians. She couldn't explain why, but she had an ominous feeling gnawing in her gut. Was it paranoia? A knock on the door stirred her from her thoughts. Ava turned her gaze to the door.

"Come in," she called, momentarily forgetting that the doors in the castle were made to keep sound from being heard outside the room. Someone would have to scream at the top of their lungs in order to make a noise escape. She stood up and crossed the large suite. She opened the door and was greeted by her handmaiden, Melody.

"It is time for supper, milady, but I was wondering if I might have a word with you first?" the woman asked tentatively.

"Of course, Melody, please come in," Ava replied, standing to the side to let her handmaiden wander into the room. "Please, sit anywhere you like."

Melody sat delicately on a divan next to a window while Ava resumed her spot in front of her vanity and began to braid her long, wine-colored hair over her left shoulder.

"So what is it you wish to speak to me about?" Ava asked, tying the braid with a violet ribbon.

"Well…milady…I wanted to speak with you about… _rumors_ …that have been circulating through the court," the handmaiden answered slowly. Ava arched one eyebrow and turned to look at her.

"What makes these rumors so important? You know how the people love their gossip," she asked, her tone dismissive.

"Well, you see, milady, they are in regards to your…relationship, with his majesty," Melody replied, fidgeting nervously.

"And what do they say?" Ava asked, feeling annoyance rising in her gut. She tried her best to keep it hidden so as not to worry her handmaiden.

"Some are worse than others, milady. A few believe that you two have been secretly courting and they wonder when a betrothal will be announced. Some of the more _unsavory_ rumors suggest that you are not the king's advisor, but his _concubine_ ," Melody explained nervously. Although Ava had never given the woman any reason to fear her, she had still been brought up a meek, "proper" lady and was always worried about offending her mistress.

Ava snorted and shook her head. People would always look for something interesting, no matter how untrue, to whisper about.

"And you're wondering if any of these rumors are true?" the advisor asked her handmaiden. Melody's eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically.

"No, never!" she exclaimed in her soft voice.

"Then why tell me about this?" Ava asked.

"Well, milady, if I may be so bold, I thought perhaps you might consider the prospect of marrying the king. He _has_ proposed once already and it _would_ be a good match," Melody answered.

"I appreciate the… _concern_ …Melody, but I have no intention of marrying Caspian, now or ever. He is as a brother to me," Ava insisted, a bit of exasperation leaking into her tone. This was not the first time someone had suggested marriage to the king.

"Are you not worried about the appearance you and the king present to the people: living together, yet unmarried?" Melody asked.

"All of the council members live in the palace. As do the servants. Should Caspian marry one of them?" Ava jested.

"No, milady, but—" the handmaiden began, but her mistress held up a hand in a gesture of silence.

"Let us forget about this nonsense and go to supper! I've been living off jerky and nuts for months, and I'm starving," Ava said, effectively ending the conversation. She crossed the room to the door, opening it and ushering her handmaiden into the hall.

"Just think about it, milady," the younger woman mumbled as she strolled along beside her.

* * *

Over dinner, Caspian and Ava regaled everyone with stories from their battle. It was, all in all, quite a normal affair…until…

"And then, Ava jumped from the archer's cliff onto the neck of this giant and started trying to strangle him with her bow! When that didn't work, she—" the king was cut off abruptly when everything began to tremble. It was light at first, and then gradually grew stronger until everyone was holding onto their goblets to keep them from toppling over. Suddenly, it died down, and then stopped altogether. Everyone looked around, bewildered.

"Was that an _earthquake_?" Ava wondered out loud.

"I don't know. I've never experienced an earthquake before. In fact, I don't know if Narnia has ever had one. I always thought they were things of myths. Or just giants nearby," Caspian replied, bewildered.

"Whatever it was, I would be quite happy if it never happened again," Melody said, holding her hand to her chest.

At once, a loud clap of thunder shook the windows and lightning flashed, lighting the room up even more. Ava looked out a window as rain started to fall in torrents, making it impossible to see outside.

"Some weather we're having," Trufflehunter mumbled.

"I don't understand. It's been raining quite frequently as of late, but I've never seen such a storm before," Caspian said. Ava felt a chill run down her spine, followed by a sense of foreboding.

"I don't think this is the worst of it," she whispered, though she had no idea where that thought came from.


	3. Counsel with Wolves

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing except the Guardians, Queen Elizabeth, King Tyler, Melody, and Ava Rydia!

I promise the chapters will get longer and more interesting eventually. The story's just warming up. Pay attention though, there are hints of what's to come throughout the chapters!

 **Songs for this chapter:** _I'll Make a Man out Of You_ from _Mulan_ , _Of Wolf and Man_ by Metallica

Reviews would be awesome!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Counsel with Wolves**

 _Thunk!_ An arrow hit the center of the target.

Ava pulled another arrow from her quiver, nocked it, aimed, and shot. _Ping! … Thunk!_ She reached for another arrow. Her aim was good, but today she was practicing speed. She had almost lost her life in battle this last time for being too slow. Usually, she liked to practice outside, but today she was confined to the palace training room, for the weather hadn't let up at all. Lightning struck fiercely, and were it not for the heavy rain, several trees would've burned to the ground by now.

As she nocked her next arrow, someone behind her cleared their throat. Ava whirled around; arrow aimed to shoot, but immediately relaxed and lowered it when she saw that it was only Caspian.

"Terribly sorry for disturbing your practice," the king said, but the smirk he usually wore when he jested was not present; he looked rather serious.

"You would have been, had I let this arrow fly. You're lucky…again," the advisor retorted, returning the arrow to her quiver.

"You should work on your close-quarter combat for the times when you can't shoot, but that must be saved for another time. We are needed in the Great Hall," Caspian said, turning and leaving. Ava's brow furrowed. What was so important that her friend wasn't even his usual, joking self this morning?

* * *

Once she had quickly changed out of her training garb into something more appropriate for a meeting, she made her way into the Great Hall. Caspian was already seated in his throne on the raised dais at the head of the room. Trufflehunter and Reepicheep were to his left and at the foot of the dais stood two large, grey wolves.

As Ava drew closer, headed to her chair on the king's right, she saw that one of the wolves had something clasped in it jaws.

Caspian looked up from the guests, saw her moving forward, and immediately stood up in respect for the lady.

"Ah, gentlemen, may I introduce to you my advisor, Lady Ava Rydia," Caspian said as she ascended the dais. She nodded to him respectfully and turned to face their guests.

"Hello, guests, I apologize for my delay. What can we do for you?" she said, getting into business-mode as she sat down, fanning the skirt of her pearl-grey dress around her feet.

"Lady Ava, our guests have come to us all the way from the edges of Archenland with a bit of a problem," Caspian said.

"I see. Well I am glad to see that you have made it here safely. The weather has not been very accommodating for travelers as of late. What seems to be the problem?" Ava asked. The wolf with the empty mouth stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"Your Majesty, milady, my name is Matias, and this," he gestured to the wolf next to him with a nod, "is Bane."

"For quite some time, many of our kind have been slaughtered mercilessly, with the killer remaining unknown," Matias continued. Ava frowned.

"Why did you not come sooner?" she asked, noticing that the thing in Bane's mouth appeared to be the pieces of a weapon of some sort.

"We thought it was only a rival pack at first and did not want to waste your time with a matter we could attend to ourselves. As soon as we discovered that it has been happening as far north as Ettinsmoor, we came straight to you. We had hoped that this might have already caught your attention," Matias replied.

"No, we knew nothing of it until now. Do you know anything that may tell us who this poacher may be?" Caspian asked. The wolf shook his head.

"Nay, Your Majesty, all we have to go on is this," he gestured for Bane to come forward.

The other wolf did as instructed, dropping the broken weapon from his mouth and stepping back. Caspian descended the dais and picked up the pieces of what was once a spear, turning them over in his hands and scrutinizing them carefully.

"Is there anything familiar about the weapon?" Ava asked. The king stood up and brought the pieces to her.

"Not at all, but I did notice this symbol carved into the head of spear," he answered as he held out the head, carved from bone. Ava took it carefully and held it up to the light for further inspection. Carved into the flat side of it was a tribal wolf design, which had been dyed blue.

"Whoever made this was a master craftsman. Though the fact that the spear head is made of bone rules out Calormen, for they would use bronze. It rules out Archenland, for they would use steel as Narnians do. Telmarines would use iron. Those from the Lone Islands would use stone," she mused aloud.

The wolves stared at her, dumbfounded. Most women didn't know much about weapons, particularly ones they didn't use themselves.

"How do you know all this?" Bane asked. Ava allowed herself a small smile.

"I've spent much time studying weaponry. It comes in handy. It also tells me that this spear is definitely _much_ too small to be that of a giant. Not to mention, if a giant was killing talking wolves, he—or possibly she—would not need a spear," she answered. Caspian nodded in agreement.

"So what do we tell them?" the king asked quietly, hoping only his advisor would hear. Ava thought for a minute, and then turned her gaze to the wolves.

"Dear friends, thank you for making this known to us. Rest assured, your king will end this slaughtering. In the meantime, you are welcome to take refuge in Cair Paravel," she paused and turned to Trufflehunter. "Trufflehunter, please escort our guests to a place they can stay."

The badger nodded and gestured for the wolves to follow him, leading them out of the room. Once they were gone, Ava turned her attention to Reepicheep.

"Reepicheep, we need to send out messengers to every hunter in Narnia. To catch a master hunter, we're going to need _many_ master hunters and you are one of the best," she said.

"Excellent idea, milady," Reepicheep said as he bowed and exited the room quickly. Ava stood up and descended the dais, walking with purpose.

"And where are you headed?" Caspian inquired. She turned back to him.

"To practice archery, of course. I intend to join the hunt for this killer myself," she answered. She turned and continued on her way to change back into her training garb. As Caspian watched her leave, a loud clap of thunder startled him. He turned his gaze to the closest window.

"Aslan's mane! This is the most outlandish weather I have ever witnessed in all my years!"


	4. Guardians' Scroll

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing except Melody, Ava, the Guardians, and the wolf hunter.

 **Note:** Samonios is the Celtic month of October/November. Since one of the summer months in Narnia is called Greenroof (and none of the other months are mentioned), I decided that October seemed too modern and mundane. So this is supposed to be during late October.

 **Song for this chapter:** _Stand my Ground_ by _Within Temptation_

Reviews please!

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Guardians' Scroll**

Every hunter throughout Narnia and Archenland was hired to track down the murderer of the talking wolves. Unfortunately, the weather conditions only continued to worsen, making it difficult for them to find anything.

Ava went out regularly to inspect the areas where wolves had been found dead. She managed to find some footprints, which were reasonably large and humanoid, though not large enough for a giant, but nothing else; the heavy rains washed away any evidence that may have been left.

As if that wasn't enough, other strange things were beginning to happen. The days were supposed to be getting shorter, it was autumn—the month of Samonios—but instead, they were all mixed up. Sometimes the sun would be bright and long-lasting; other times, the moon reigned longer. The temperatures were erratic—changing from freezing cold to sweltering hot and back in unpredictable patterns. More "earthquakes" had occurred, each one longer and more severe than the one before.

Every time Ava went out with a group of hunters, she noticed changes in the foliage as well. Some plants were dying from no apparent cause, while others were taking over the forest and choking out the trees.

* * *

One night, Ava was having trouble sleeping, so she decided to make her way to the palace library to find something boring that would make her sleepy. She got out of bed, threw on her lilac robe over her chemise, lit an oil lamp, and pattered out of her room, all the way to the library.

The library was its own tower in the palace. The room was circular-shaped, with one side being nothing but stained-glassed windows, and the rest being rows and rows of books, with a diamond dome for a ceiling. The room was tastefully decorated with dark red and tawny gold velvet chairs, divans for comfortable reading, cherry wood tables, and display podiums.

Ava walked up and down the rows, in search of something incredibly boring. She tried a few books on Economics and Government, but now that she was wide awake, nothing was making her tired. With a sigh, she returned another book to its space on a shelf and decided to search for something more engaging to read.

Up and down the aisles she walked. When she found nothing interesting, or new to her, on the first level, she climbed the stairs to the second level and continued her search. Level after level she went, but she found nothing that would satisfy her. She didn't know why.

At last, she was on the very top level of the library, and avoiding the edge of the railing at all cost—heights made her very anxious. She had no clue why she'd even decided to venture this far up—surely there would be nothing of interest to her up here—the books had gone so long without being touched that they were all covered in a thick layer of dust; there were even a few scrolls lying about—no one used scrolls anymore!

She felt herself drawn to a specific section of scrolls. Curiosity got the better of her and she removed one from the shelf, gently blowing the dust off of it. She made her way down to the first level and placed it on a long table. Carefully, she untied the silk ribbon that kept it shut and was surprised when the tightly coiled paper quickly unwound until the end of it nearly touched the floor.

She grabbed a magnifying glass, and began reading. At first, she was only half-paying attention, but it didn't take her long to realize that she was reading about the Guardians of Narnia.

She sat up straighter on the divan she had wandered to and leaned over the paper intently. According to the writing there should always be two Guardians in power, each with a different element; there were five elements—earth, air, fire, water, and light. There were other roles that they must play as well—the Warrior, the Heart (nicknamed the Bard), the Knight (nicknamed the Judge), the Wraith, and the last—the Shepherd.

The Warrior was the Guardian of warfare and battle strategy, in charge of protecting the land. The Heart was the Guardian of emotions, bringing happiness, love, and joy to Narnia. The Knight was the Guardian of heroic endeavor, honor, loyalty, and chivalry; he or she made sure that the scales of justice remained balanced. The Wraith (also called the Reaper or the Angel by some) was the Guardian of life and death; it was his/her job to keep the circle of life going. The Wraith would guide souls into the light and ensure that life and death came at their appointed times.

Last, the Shepherd was the Guardian of Guardians; the one to awaken the power in the others. Other Guardians would be drawn to the Shepherd; their powers would slowly manifest once they were in the Shepherd's presence.

Ava was not entirely sure what the last part meant, but she kept reading. Apparently, there had never been a known Shepherd before—there never seemed to be a need for one—and there were debates as to whether or not he or she was even a Guardian at all.

All Guardians were Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve imbued with special powers, given to them by Aslan. Every time a set of Guardians ended their reign, new Guardians, of a different element and title, would be chosen to take their places. This would ensure that balance was kept. For instance, a Warrior Guardian would never reign twice in a row. Guardians also changed elements from time to time. Any Guardian could rule over earth, air, fire, water, or light; it was all dependent upon the person and what the world needed.

There had been much speculation over what would happen should the scales tip and the balance be upset. Scholars and clerics alike agreed on one thing: Narnia would die. The elements would turn on each other, ripping the world apart. Which is why, every time a set of Guardians gave up their position the next ones appeared almost immediately. The last time Narnia had been without Guardians, the White Witch had plunged the world into a century of winter.

Ava gasped and stood up abruptly, the scroll dropping from her lap to the floor. This explained the strange weather and the earthquakes! If there hadn't been Guardians since Queen Elizabeth and King Tyler's reign the world would have gone for centuries without protection and balance! How it had even lasted this long, Ava was unsure of. She needed to tell Caspian at once!

She hurriedly rolled up the scroll and exited the library, nearly sprinting through the castle towards the king's suite. As she was passing some windows, something caught her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned her attention to the large snowflakes that were falling from the sky. She pattered to a small door that lead out onto the palace grounds, pulled back the bolt that kept it locked at night, and proceeded to step outside to see the snow more clearly.

As she padded onto the stone steps, snow soaking through her slippers, she tripped over something and fell in a heap in the snow that had already accumulated on the ground. She winced, the heels of her hands were scraped, she was cold, and her ankle smarted. She turned her gaze to see what she had tripped over, and felt her eyes widen in shock. There, at her feet, was a wounded man.

He was wearing leather armor, dyed blue, with black fabric underneath, and a cloak of animal fur, which was currently covered in blood. The armor accented his physic very well; he had broad shoulders, well-built arms, and large hands. He was probably quite strong. He appeared to be quite tall, but Ava could not be sure while he was lying down. She shifted so she could get a closer look at his face. His skin appeared to have been fair at one point, but was now weathered and lightly tanned—possibly from fighting in the sun? He had a long, thin scar going across his neck. She wondered how he got it and gulped reflexively. His hair was cut short and stood straight up. The man could not have been past his early thirties, but his light brown hair had small traces of silver in it. Perhaps he had seen too much battle in his lifetime.

Going into medic-mode, she began searching the man's body for his wounds. She saw bite marks in the leather that covered the lower right side of his torso. Carefully, she lifted up the mangled armor, and then peeled away the black fabric underneath. What she saw made her hiss, imagining the pain—his side had been all but ripped out by an animal. She looked back to the man's face; he was unconscious, but his features were contorted with pain. She felt a strong urge to caress this man's face; he looked like he was in so much agony. Just one little brush of her fingertips wouldn't hurt, right?

She tentatively reached out with her left hand to touch his cheek…

Suddenly, he awoke with a gasp of pain, and grabbed her wrist with his left hand. Ava squealed in surprise and found herself staring into a pair of striking, icy blue eyes. The man opened his mouth to say something, when Ava noticed that, on his bare, left bicep, was a blue tattoo of a tribal wolf; the _same_ tribal wolf on the spear that Bane had brought to her. Her lips parted in a small "O" shape. Now she knew what kind of animal the cloak had been made from—a talking wolf.

This was the man she had been hunting.


	5. Sinaaq

**Disclaimer:** I own _**nothing**_ except Ava Rydia, Melody, and the Guardians. Sinaaq is based off somebody that I used to know (see what I did there?), with some creative license. I also do _**NOT**_ own the quotes from William Shakespeare's play _Richard III_ , nor do I own the modern translation of them.

 **Note:** The point of view will remain in third person, but now the focus will sometimes change from Ava to Sinaaq, depending on the situation. It shouldn't be confusing, but if it is, tell me in a review and I will see what I can do.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _He's a Tramp_ by Peggy Lee, _Pokerface_ by Lady Gaga

Reviews are greatly appreciated as well as inspiring!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Sinaaq**

Ava sat, frozen in place for a moment that seemed to last for hours. Suddenly, without thinking, she punched the man hard across the jaw, knocking him out cold and injuring her hand.

"OW!" she cried, clutching her hand to her chest. "Why did I just do that?" she asked herself.

She stood up, still cradling her hand, and looked around. The palace guards wouldn't be able to hear her if she called to them from here. She looked down at the man and groaned. He would be way too heavy for her to lift; Ava had never been known for strength, but instead for agility, speed, and using her small size to her advantage. As she was trying to think of a way to transport the poacher, she noticed a trail of blood, indicating the direction from which he came, and a few feet away lay a large, circular shield. _He must have discarded the shield when he became too weak to carry it. He's lost a lot of blood._

Finding no immediate solution to her predicament, Ava stood up and took a few deep breaths. She turned and opened the door as wide as it would go, then put a small rock in front of it for good measure. Then came her next problem: how to drag the man into the castle and into the infirmary without further damaging his wounds. She chewed on her lip. An idea came to her and she began searching him for weapons. She managed to find a small dagger, which appeared to be for hunting or eating rather than combat, and began hacking away at the fur cloak until she had a scrap big enough to cover the wound. She then proceeded to use the dagger to cut a long strip from her chemise. Unfortunately, the thin material ripped easily, and by the time she was done, her chemise was only brushing the tops of her knees. Now she was quite indecent and very cold.

Ava knelt down and took the strip of chemise, struggling to run it underneath the man at his lower back. Once she did that, she took the scrap of cloak and pressed it to the wound, then bound it in place as tight as she could with the chemise scrap. She then retrieved his shield and slid it under him as best she could. She stood up, took a few deep breaths, grabbed the edge of the shield, and began to pull the man through the doorway. _Aslan's mane, he's heavy!_ She thought.

Inch by inch she dragged him through the corridors towards the infirmary. It seemed like forever had passed by the time she managed to get him there. She was exhausted and the sun was starting to rise.

Ava grabbed an apron and began pulling medical supplies out of draws and off of shelves, setting to work removing the man's clothes and tending to his wound to her best ability. He was a criminal, yes—the murder of a talking animal was the same offense as murdering a human in Narnia—but she wouldn't have him die before giving him a trial and sentence.

* * *

The first sense Sinaaq regained, when he came to from oblivion, was pain, but not where he expected. His mind was foggy, and he couldn't remember what events had transpired before he had passed out. He remembered losing a fight with a particularly dangerous wolf; He remembered nearly having his entrails ripped out through his side. He recalled punching the wolf in the snout with one hand while his other hand was shoved in his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. He didn't care that this wolf had escaped; it wasn't the right one anyway. He remembered picking up his shield and retreating. He could vaguely remember getting lost and ending up in someone's courtyard, but his vision had been rapidly failing and he had been unable to see exactly where he was through the darkness and snowfall. He could also recall lying on the cold ground, feeling numb.

Suddenly, as the rest of his senses returned, he was able to remember being startled awake by a young woman…right before she punched him. He made to reach up to touch the place where she had given him a very impressive right hook, when he felt something cold and heavy around his wrist.

Sinaaq's eyes shot open, darting around, taking in every detail of his surroundings. He had been propped into a sitting position in the corner of a cell, his wrists shackled to the wall with long chains. His wound had been dressed and, when he peeled back the dressing for a peak, he found that it had been stitched shut as well. The only source of light came from a small, barred window, too high up for most people to reach. His only article of clothing that had been left on him was his black trousers. He groaned and ran a hand over his face, wincing when he touched his jaw. Thankfully, the woman had not managed to break it.

Sinaaq could not remember much about her, for he had been faint from blood loss, though he wished he could. As if on cue, he heard a door opening, footsteps—they were obviously from a small person—keys jingling, then a key turning in the lock to the wooden door of his cell. The door opened, and he froze. There, mere feet away from him, was the same woman who had socked him in the jaw, he was suddenly very sure of it.

She was definitely small, but she was more than skin and bones; she had curves, broad shoulders, and lean muscles, accented by her simple gown. The gown was the same indigo shade as the Eastern Sea, which reflected in her grey eyes and brought out the ivory shade of her skin and the red in her sangria locks, which were pulled back in a long braid that draped over her left shoulder. A silver hair comb, made to look like vines with little pearls on the leaves, kept any stray strands of hair away from her face. Her face was soft, almost like a child's, but held a certain maturity that aged her around her mid-twenties. She had the air of authority that was to be expected from a noble and was not at all intimidated by Sinaaq—not that he was very intimidating at the moment anyway.

Sinaaq blinked and shook his head when he realized he had been staring. The woman, who he now knew to be the advisor to King Caspian X that he had heard so much about, gracefully fanned her skirt out around her body as she sat down in front of him, obviously making a point to stay just out of reach. She never took her eyes off of him.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked. Sinaaq nodded.

"Yes. You must be King Caspian's advisor," he answered.

"I am. Do you have a name, wolf hunter?" she asked her voice remaining emotionless and business-like. She never once broke eye contact. It was almost unnerving. Thankfully, Sinaaq wasn't easily unnerved.

"I do. My name is Sinaaq."

"Sinaaq. Alright then," the advisor said as if trying out the name. "Do you know why I have brought you here, Sinaaq?" she asked.

"I'm sure I could guess, but why don't you tell me and save me the trouble?" Sinaaq answered with a small smirk. The woman raised an eyebrow at him, the way one does when she's trying to say you're a fool for pushing your luck.

"You are here to await trial for the murder of many talking wolves in Narnia. How do you plead?" she responded, her voice growing slightly harder.

"Guilty," Sinaaq answered easily. The woman's eyes twitched, almost narrowing at him.

"You know honesty does not grant you anything?" she asked. Sinaaq nodded.

"Yes, but lying grants me nothing either," he replied.

"That is true," she agreed. She was silent for a moment. Was she trying to think of something to say? Or was she waiting for him to beg for his life? Did they even have a death sentence in Narnia?

"Why?" she asked, her voice softer, though her visage did not change.

"Pardon me?" Sinaaq asked, leaning forward a little.

"Why…did you kill those wolves?" she asked, her voice harsher.

Sinaaq sat there for a minute, thinking about his answer. There were so many ways he could go about it.

"Does it matter why I did it?" he asked at last.

"Maybe," the advisor answered.

"Then it's for me to know and you to wonder about," Sinaaq replied with a cheeky smirk. The woman glared at him as if her eyes could set him ablaze. She stood up, looking down at him, the muscles in her jaw tightening.

"I guess I expected too much out of a common murderer," she said, venom dripping from her words. Sinaaq chuckled.

"Oh, I can assure you, milady, I'm far from common," he said with a smirk. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Lucky for you, Narnia has no death penalty," she said. She turned her gaze to the ceiling and mumbled, "Either let Aslan send lightning to strike the murderer dead or let the earth open wide and devour him." Sinaaq chuckled.

"Toots, you don't know the rules of charity. When faced with bad, you're supposed to turn it into good. And when subject to curses, you're supposed to convert them into blessings," he said in mock admonishment. He smirked as he watched the tiny woman grow more irritated, flexing her fingers like a cat, as if she were ready to rake her nails across his face.

"Villain, you do not know the laws of Aslan or of man," she growled. Sinaaq found her anger to be quite fetching. She was a fiery little thing, though he was not fool enough to think she wouldn't claw his face to shreds for saying so.

"You accuse me so, but would explaining myself really change anything?" Sinaaq pointed out. The advisor crossed her arms, looking much like a petulant child.

"Maybe, but if you killed yourself, it would show that you felt some guilt for killing others," she replied coldly.

Sinaaq didn't know why, but he was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected her to be so cruel. Then again, in her eyes, he was a murderer and she was being just.

"Let's say I didn't kill them," Sinaaq said, stroking his goatee thoughtfully.

"Then you might as well say they're not dead. But they _are_ dead, and you killed them," the woman replied.

"And what if they provoked me?" Sinaaq asked.

"What provoked you was your own bloodthirsty mind. … You killed these wolves did you not?" she replied. Sinaaq nodded.

"Yes, I'll grant you that."

"Then let Aslan grant me that you'll be damned for those wicked deeds! Oh, those wolves were gentle, mild, and virtuous," she lamented. Her stoic façade was gone. Sinaaq had clearly done more than annoyed her. She was angry and mourning the loss of subjects.

"That will please Aslan, who has them now," Sinaaq said, his tone uncaring. The advisor clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. Sinaaq watched her carefully. She was not composed the way he expected an advisor to the king to be.

"They are with Aslan, where you will never go," she said through her teeth.

"Let him thank me, who helped them get there. They're better suited to be there than here," Sinaaq said, gesturing to the raging weather outside.

"And you're not suited for any place except hell," the woman spat. Sinaaq stood up, albeit slowly and painfully, chuckling as he did so.

"Yes, and one other place, if you will hear me name it," he said with a smirk.

"This dungeon?" the advisor asked sarcastically, a hand on her hip. Sinaaq stepped forward until his chains were taught and leaned so that his lips were just a hairsbreadth from the woman's ear.

"Your bedchamber," he whispered huskily. The advisor's jaw dropped and she pushed him back angrily, which only served to make him grin.

"There is no rest to be had in any bedchamber where you are!" she growled, taking a backwards step towards the door.

"Exactly, madam, until I lie with you," Sinaaq said cheekily, smirking more.

The advisor finally had enough and turned to punch, not smack, him across the jaw again, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him firmly, but not enough to hurt her, and kissed her right on the lips. She squeaked and wriggled, but her wriggling only made him hold onto her more. Sinaaq smiled against her mouth when he felt her start to relax—but was startled when she brought her knee up into his groin. He doubled over in pain as the woman twisted out of his grasp. She stomped to the door, opened it, and glared down at him.

"Your vile behavior has only served to condemn you further. You will be retrieved at a later time for your hearing," she snarled.

Sinaaq looked up just in time to see the door slam and hear it lock. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Angering the king's advisor had been good fun. He was usually only that irritating to people he hated, but she was such a vixen when angry, he just couldn't resist. Her lips had been so soft and warm…and though she did not return the action, it had been fantastic nonetheless. He sighed.

"I'm going to pay for that," he mused aloud, running a hand through his hair.

* * *

In the castle training room, Ava was busy beating a practice dummy to a pulp. The criminal had been so infuriating! She wanted to throttle him! He was just so…

She growled and threw another punch at the dummy, this time, breaking it and making it fall in pieces on the stone floor.

"Oops," she said as she stared down at the broken equipment, surprised that she had broken it.

Usually, if someone made her angry, beating things up made her feel so much better, but Sinaaq had gotten under her skin and, like a pesky infection, she couldn't seem to be rid of thoughts of him. She growled and kicked the pieces of the broken dummy hard enough to send them flying.

"Whoa there!" exclaimed Caspian, dodging a projectile piece of broken dummy as he entered the room. Ava glanced up at him, then started looking around to see what she wanted to abuse next.

"What has you so vexed?" the king asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Just our new prisoner, the infamous wolf hunter," Ava grumbled in reply.

"Did he say something to upset you?" Caspian asked, concerned.

"Oh, he said many things. All of which were vile and uncouth and crude. I shall be happy to be rid of him," his advisor replied. Caspian raised an eyebrow.

"You know the most likely sentence will be for him to live out the rest of his days in the dungeon, right?" he pointed out.

"Yes, I know that. Still, I cannot help but wish we had a better solution," Ava replied sulkily.

"Did you manage to get an explanation from him? Did he have a reason for his crimes?" Caspian asked.

"He would not say; he decided to be difficult," she answered with a growl. Caspian chuckled, causing her to snap her gaze to him.

"What, pray tell, is so damn funny, Caspian?" she snapped.

"I'm just eager to see what this man is like, despite his crimes. I've never seen anyone vex you this way. Maybe he can give me some ideas," Caspian replied, ducking as Ava plucked a dagger from the wall and threw it at him. Thankfully, she missed and it clattered to the floor, leaving the king laughing as he exited the room. She growled and kicked another practice dummy.

"Stupid criminal. Stupid king. Stupid men!" she grumbled.


	6. Ava Meets Amarok

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except the Guardians, Ava Rydia, Melody, and Sinaaq. Amarok is a mythological creature and is not of my creation.

 **Note:** In this chapter, the focus will turn to Caspian for a short time.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _Elements_ by Lindsey Stirling, _Snow White Queen_ by Evanescence

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Ava Meets Amarok**

The southern sun was still rising, peeking through the clouds for the first time in weeks. Some areas of the forest still had snow on the ground while others were glistening with dew. Today, Ava had decided to take her horse, Dorchadas, out for a ride. It had been a long time since he was able to get some exercise, due to the storms. Besides, she wanted to do a sweep of the land and see how much damage had been done.

As she rode, she grew more and more troubled. There were trees that had been struck by lightning, trees that had been burned, and trees that had been uprooted altogether. There were small fissures in the ground from where the earth had shifted and there were rocks that had shattered. This was just the start of it. Plants that were still alive had taken over; everything was enveloped by large vines with thorns and toxic flowers. It was as if the forest was going wild.

The more she saw, the harder she dug her heels into Dorchadas' sides to make him canter. She flew through the woods, steering her horse around trees and jumping over logs. When she reached the river, she stopped at a halt. There was barely any water left, despite the heavy rains. The water level had lowered drastically, to the point where she could see the riverbed underneath. Ava could only stare in shock. Things were escalating quickly—more so than she had originally thought.

She dismounted her horse and climbed down the edge of the bank, splashing into the river; it only came up to her shins now. As she stared at the water trickling along, a water spirit formed and stared up at her. The creature said nothing; she merely stared at Ava pitifully. As the river wasted away, so would all the nymphs and spirits that inhabited it.

"I'm so sorry," Ava whispered, not knowing what else to say.

The spirit gave her one last look, and then dissolved into the river again. Ava pinched the bridge of her nose to stifle the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She needed to return to the palace; she couldn't afford to break down now.

As she cantered back to Cair Paravel, she kept going over everything that needed done as soon as possible. At the top of her list was searching through the scrolls in the library to find more information on the Guardians, if there was any. She needed to know how to find the next ones.

She remembered reading that every generation of Guardians was chosen when the previous generation ended their reign. Queen Elizabeth and King Tyler had vanished without a trace and no one else had been called since then. They were the last Warrior and Heart; they'd had power over water and light. Normally, an entirely new pair of titles and elements would be given to the next generation, but the whole world was on a sort of reset and needed all the elements and titles to be brought forth. This could possibly mean starting with the Shepherd; one might need to be brought forth to awaken the others. But how did one create a Shepherd from nothing? Without Aslan, how could someone gain the powers of a Guardian?

Next on her list, and something she was not looking forward to in the slightest, was Sinaaq's hearing. She was in no mood to deal with his smartass remarks today, but the trial was tomorrow as Caspian had wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. She slowed Dorchadas to a trot; she was becoming more engrossed in her thoughts when a low growl sounded through the woods and echoed off the trees.

Ava slowed her horse to a halt and looked around, but she couldn't see anything through the thick vegetation around her. Her senses now on high alert, she removed her bow from her back and grabbed an arrow from her quiver, nocking it and drawing it back, but leaving it pointed at the ground, ready to fire if needed. She tried to listen, but her hearing had never been particularly good, and her heart was pounding in her ears.

Another growl, more menacing than the first, sounded—much closer this time. Dorchadas started to snort and paw at the ground with his hooves, his ears pinned back towards his head, only twitching when a noise was made. His nostrils flared and the whites of his eyes were beginning to show. Ava couldn't hold the reins and her bow at the same time, so she made sure her legs gripped him firmly in case he decided to run. Her heart pounded faster and sweat broke out down her spine, making her padded, navy blue ranging coat a little hot inside. Another growl, much louder, ending in a sort of howl, sounded so close it couldn't have come from more than a few feet away.

Dorchadas, now completely frightened, let out a blood-curdling neigh and reared up suddenly. Ava, caught completely off-guard, tumbled backwards off his back, her bow flying from her hands after the arrow she had nocked had been shot into the dirt.

Her head hit the ground hard and, for a moment, her vision blurred and her mind swam. When she could see clearly again, she kicked her legs up, using her hands to push off from the ground, and landed on her feet in a crouch, her eyes darting every which way. Her horse had run away, judging by the hoof prints, in the direction of Cair Paravel. Her bow was lying a few feet away, and the arrows from her quiver were scattered over the forest floor. She stood up straight and walked to her bow, bending to pick it up, and that was when she heard it: the sound of leaves crunching breaking the silence…right behind her.

She froze, hearing heavy breathing and a low rumbling too close for comfort. She gripped her bow tightly in her right hand, swallowing hard. She tried to be sneaky and whip around to surprise her assailant, and failed.

Before she could think, a large mass of fur and fangs charged her, knocking the bow from her hand and spinning her around. When her eyes focused again, she was face to face with the largest wolf she had ever seen; it was at _least_ the size of her horse! Its eyes were silver and its fur was the color of snow. Hot breath blew from its nostrils, making puffs in the cool air as it stared her down. Ava was frozen in place. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Surely, this would be the end of her.

"A tender thing like you should not be out all by yourself," the wolf spoke, surprising her with its distorted, snarling voice. She opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't make any noise come out. If she cried for help, she would probably have her throat ripped out. The wolf stepped forward. Ava mirrored it and stepped back.

"Ah, ah, we both know you cannot outrun me, little one. You will make your death much quicker if you just cooperate."

"W-who are you?" Ava stammered, finding her voice. She tried to force herself to think of an escape plan, but she wasn't finding one.

"I am Amarok, spirit of the snows," the wolf replied, stepping closer still. Ava's brow furrowed slightly as she shifted in place.

"Spirit of the snows? I'm afraid I've never heard of you. Where do you hail from? Why are you here?" she asked, trying to stop her voice from shaking.

"I am from very far North, where the giants live. I have come here searching for a man—a man I intend to kill," Amarok answered.

"Who is this man? I might know him. After all, it is my business to know of everyone in Narnia," Ava said, stalling while she continued to search for an escape.

It was then that her fingertips brushed against the ivory horn that hung at her waist. _Queen Susan's horn!_ She had completely forgotten she was carrying it. Caspian had given her the horn for times when she went out alone. If she could just be fast enough to get one blow into it, _maybe_ …it wasn't a very good idea, but neither were the odds that she would survive this encounter. Still, it was something.

"Sinaaq," the wolf replied simply.

Ava froze, her fingertips still touching the horn. The wolf was hunting Sinaaq? How many wolves had he killed to cause this spirit to seek vengeance on him? Though, as these thoughts entered her mind, she knew there had to be more to it than that, for Amarok did not seem to be on the side of good and Sinaaq seemed no more than a scoundrel at worst.

"I have a man named Sinaaq in my dungeons. What do you want him for?" she asked, managing to hide her fear this time. She stood up straighter, trying to show her authority.

"It is because of him that I am trapped in this form! I cannot be free until he dies," Amarok replied, snarling in anger.

Ava tried not to jump as her thoughts raced. She had so many questions that needed answered. The large wolf spoke again.

"If you bring me to Sinaaq, I may let you live, tiny one."

The emphasis on her height was really getting old. Now she had a choice to make: she could buy herself more time by bringing Amarok to Sinaaq, which may let her formulate a plan, or she could say no and risk dying now. The wolf probably would not let her out of his sight to retrieve the prisoner. What to do? She knew nothing of Sinaaq. She did not know his past, if he had a family, or if he really was the murderer she thought him to be. Letting him die at the hands of this monster should not matter to her right? As soon as she thought that, however, her conscience told her that she was wrong. There was only one way to find out.

"Hmm…the offer seems so enticing," Ava said, pretending to think. "I think, sir wolf, that I will have to respectfully… _decline_."

Quickly, she yanked the horn from her belt, breaking the worn leather straps in the process, and put it to her lips. She managed to get one good blow on it before the wolf barreled into her, knocking the wind out of her and pinning her to the ground. The horn was thrown from her hand; she didn't see where it landed. Her head ached fiercely and she swore she had hit it on a rock or a tree root. Her vision was spotty and she couldn't seem to focus as the wolf hovered over her, his breath smelling of blood and death. The last thing she heard was Amarok's voice in her ear.

"Give my regards to Sinaaq," he snarled. With those words, he sank his teeth into her left shoulder. The pain was too much and soon, she lost consciousness.

* * *

Caspian found Ava unconscious and lying in a pool of what appeared to be her own blood. Her head and her left shoulder had been bleeding for Aslan-knew how long and had not stopped. He bent over her, checking her neck for a pulse. It was there, but very faint. If he did not get her to the infirmary soon, she would die. Thankfully, he had Queen Lucy's cordial on him, which he only used for the direst of situations—those of which were rare. He took the stopper out of the vessel and tilted Ava's head so her lips would part.

He tipped the vial carefully and tapped it until a drop fell into her mouth, then he put the stopper in it and returned it to his belt. He waited on baited breath for the cordial to take effect. Slowly, the wound in Ava's shoulder healed until the only sign that it had ever been there was the blood on her clothes and skin. Caspian carefully checked her head, just to be certain, and found it also healed. Now she needed to wake up.

The king sat there, cradling his advisor in his arms to keep her warm, hoping she would wake, but the woman did not stir once. Rather than wait in the woods, in the dark, for her to awaken, he picked her up carefully and carried her to his horse. Gently, he draped her body across the saddle, and then climbed on. He held her across his lap and cantered—which was smoother than trotting and much faster—back to Cair Paravel.

"What in Aslan's name did this to her?" he wondered aloud.


	7. Bloody Affairs

**Disclaimer:** I own _**nothing**_ except Ava, Melody, the Guardians, and Sinaaq. Nobody really owns Amarok.

 **Note:** Ava Rydia is about 5'2", Prince Caspian (the Ben Barnes version) is about 6'1", and Sinaaq is about 6'1". Also, many different sources claim giants to be different heights. Some say that they are over nine feet high, while others say they are only about seven feet high. For the purposes of this story, we'll say that the giants Sinaaq lived with were only seven feet high.

 **Important Note:** According to my research, experiments with blood transfusions didn't happen until the 17th century, but I tried to make it feasible the best way I could. Most of those attempts killed the patient because people did not yet know of blood types. However, attempts on animals were successful. In order for a primitive blood transfusion to work the donor would have to be type O-negative or the receiver would have to be type AB-positive, which is more likely than randomly getting two people with the same blood type. Yarrow, mint, witch hazel, vinegar, and Myrrh were all used in medieval times to sterilize wounds. A fleam is a long, narrow blade (that looks very much like a needle) that was used for blood-letting in medieval times. Before there was plastic or rubber, medical tubing was made of metal and IV bottles were made of glass.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _My Own Prison_ by Creed, _Jailhouse Rock_ by Elvis Presley, _All for Love_ by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Bloody Affairs**

Sinaaq was sitting in his cell—he obviously couldn't go out for a stroll—growing quite bored. He was usually a very patient man, but being inside a cell for over a day, without anything to stare at but stone walls, did become maddening after a while. Still, he had to admit that Narnia kept their dungeons better than most places—how he knew that, he would never tell. The straw that covered the floor was changed by a servant regularly while a guard stood watch and he was given one scratchy, wool blanket for bedding. The walls had been made quite well, so they remained dry and didn't let in a draft. It was more than most criminals received or deserved. Sinaaq was thankful that Narnia had no death penalty. Under any other circumstances, he would say it was stupid of them, but for his sake he was glad for it.

Sinaaq was lost in thought when he heard someone approaching his cell. The footsteps were heavier than the advisor's and attached to someone with a longer stride, someone taller. He sighed in resignation; it must have been time for his trial. He stood up straight, his feet planted shoulder-width apart, his hands clasped behind his back, his posture perfect, ready to face his sentence.

What he was not expecting, was for his visitor to be King Caspian X. Sinaaq hid his surprise and scrutinized the young king. He had come to him unarmed, unguarded, and without chains with which to transport him, so why was he here? Sinaaq was the same height as the king and was able to look directly at him without tilting his head. The two men stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak.

"You are the one they call Sinaaq, yes?" the king asked in a thick, Telmarine accent.

"Do you have anyone else in your dungeons at this time?" Sinaaq asked.

"No," the king replied slowly, looking confused.

"Then yes, I am Sinaaq," the prisoner answered. King Caspian raised a dark eyebrow at him.

"What if I had said yes?" he asked.

"It would have made your question less stupid," Sinaaq replied bluntly. The king looked taken aback for a moment, but then gave a nod of agreement.

"Fair enough," he said. "Do you know why I am here, Sinaaq?" he asked, getting to the matter at hand. Sinaaq shrugged.

"You tell me," he replied.

"I am here because Lady Ava Rydia, my advisor, whom I believe you've already had the pleasure of meeting, has been attacked," the king said. Sinaaq's brow furrowed.

"And what does that have to do with me? I didn't attack her, obviously," he responded, gesturing to his surroundings and his shackles.

"I know that," Caspian replied shortly. "I do not know what attacked her or why, but as she slips in and out of consciousness, she keeps mentioning _your_ name. I've come here for answers. I want to know who you are and where you come from and what in Aslan's name may have followed you here. And I'm not leaving until you tell me." Sinaaq stared at him, his face unchanging.

"Narnians don't strike me as the type to torture their prisoners," he pointed out. "Doesn't matter, I can cope with torture. There is no way on Aslan's green earth that you can make me tell you anything."

"What if I beg for your help?" the king asked. Sinaaq stared at him skeptically.

"You would stoop that low? You would beg for help from a criminal?" he asked, disbelieving. As if to emphasize his point, King Caspian dropped to his knees in front of him.

" _Please_ , Ava is very important to me. She seems to be dying and we cannot figure out why. If you have an answer, please tell me," he pleaded.

Sinaaq stared down at the young king, impressed by his devotion to the woman. However, having the king on his knees in front of him also felt a little awkward.

"Okay, I will cooperate with you if you _please_ get up off your knees," the prisoner replied. The king stood up at once. "That's better, now who found the woman after she was attacked?"

"I did. I heard her blow Queen Susan's horn," Caspian replied. Sinaaq wanted to ask what Queen Susan's horn was, but decided to save it for another time.

"When you found her, what did her wounds look like?" he asked.

"There was too much blood to get a good look at them, but she had hit her head on a tree root and her left shoulder looked like it had been gnawed on by a large animal. I gave her a drop of fireflower cordial and her wounds healed, but she had already lost so much blood. The cordial will cure any injury you've got, but it has its limits," the king explained.

Sinaaq stroked his goatee in thought. "How long has she been able to stay awake?" he asked.

"Mere seconds at a time and she cannot speak coherently," Caspian answered.

"Have you been able to understand anything she's said?" Sinaaq asked.

"She mumbled something that sounded like 'I'm a rock', but—"

"Amarok?" Sinaaq interrupted, his blood chilling at the sound of the wolf's name.

"Yes! That's it!" the king exclaimed. "She mentioned something about Amarok, though I have no clue who, or what, that is, and she mentioned you."

"I know what it is—it's the angry spirit that I've been hunting for the last decade or so," Sinaaq replied. "Amarok used to possess any creature he wished. He had no corporeal form of his own and would use those he possessed to slaughter anyone and anything in his wake. He favored predatory animals because they were easier to control than humans. The last time, he chose to possess a direwolf and slaughter my whole village. You would think that one direwolf could not decimate a village full of giants, but he managed." Sinaaq clenched his fists as his past came back to haunt him.

"You're a giant?" King Caspian asked incredulously.

"Not that I am aware of. I know nothing of my lineage; only that I was found by the giants who raised me. The giants that Amarok murdered," the prisoner replied.

"Oh…my condolences," King Caspian mumbled. Sinaaq waved a hand dismissively.

"If Amarok is here in Narnia, it is to hunt me down and kill me. The last time we met, I escaped him, and the spirits decreed that he would be trapped inside his fleshy prison until he killed me. We've been chasing each other's tails for years. The last time I saw him, I was very young, so I do not remember exactly what he looks like. Every time I think I've found him, I end up making another mistake," he explained.

"So _that's_ why you were killing the talking wolves. You were looking for the wolf that killed your family," the king said, nodding his head as everything fell into place in his mind.

"I hardly doubt the talking wolves around here will accept that excuse, but yes, that is why," Sinaaq said. Never mind that the wolf he was looking for was the size of a horse and the wolves he had killed were only the size of very small ponies; he thought that information was best saved for another time.

"We can worry about that later, right now, I want you to come with me," the king said, taking out a key and reaching for Sinaaq's shackles.

"Where are we going?" Sinaaq asked.

"I am taking you to the infirmary to wait for Lady Ava to awake. She needs to hear what you have to say. At any rate, maybe you can tell the physician something useful," Caspian answered as he began unlocking Sinaaq's shackles.

"How do you know I won't try to escape?" the prisoner asked. The king gave him a dry smile.

"Even if you managed to overpower me, you would never make it out of the city alive," he answered.

* * *

Caspian and Sinaaq—who now had his boots, his shirt, and tunic, albeit with a hole in one side, back—entered the infirmary and went straight to the only occupied bed there was—the one that held Lady Ava.

As they drew nearer to her, Sinaaq was able to scrutinize her better and was amazed to see absolutely nothing physically wrong with her. Her ivory skin had a more unhealthy pallor to it than what he expected was normal, but aside from that, she merely appeared to be sleeping. The physician—a female Night Elf druid—had removed her clothing and dressed her in a simple chemise.

"Any change?" Caspian asked as they approached Ava's bed. The physician shook her head.

"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty," she answered, her silver eyes briefly flickering to Sinaaq. She seemed wary of him, but also intrigued as she seemed to take in every detail of him with her eyes before quickly turning her attention back to the king. Sinaaq smirked and felt his ego swell a bit.

"Is there anything that can be done?" Caspian asked with desperation in his voice.

"The problem seems to be blood loss," the physician answered. "I have done studies on the subject of blood and it seems to me that the average human adult—size depending—has ten pints of blood in their body. Someone Lady Ava's size will have much less. She has lost enough blood to make her unconscious, which, according to my experiments, is usually about three to four pints. It is possible she has lost more."

Sinaaq didn't want to know what her experiments entailed and, from the look on his face, Caspian didn't want to know either.

"So what happens now?" Sinaaq asked.

"Well, I have done experiments with transferring blood from one subject to another, but it is _very_ risky," the elvish woman answered. "I have only tried it on dumb animals within the same species, and it was _usually_ successful. However, I do not know if it will work on our beloved advisor. One wrong decision could worsen her condition or perhaps kill her."

Sinaaq and Caspian looked at each other for a moment; they both seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Is there any other option?" the king asked, turning back to the elf. She shook her head grimly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at the prisoner next to him, feeling helpless. What could be said?

Sinaaq stroked his goatee in thought and looked at the young king.

"What are you willing to do to save her?" he asked.

"Whatever it takes," Caspian answered.

"Then it's a risk you will have to take," the prisoner said.

"I am going to need someone to take blood from someone," the physician said, staring pointedly at the two men.

There was no one else in the room. Sinaaq scrutinized Caspian. Although they were the same height, the king was leaner in build, whereas he was more muscular. It was obvious that Caspian weighed less and would have less blood to give. Sinaaq turned back to the physician.

"I shall do it. I have more blood to give and I do not have a country to rule," he said, surprised by his own words. Caspian stared at him as if he were crazy.

"Sinaaq, this is not your risk to take. And you _did_ mention that your death would unleash that hellish spirit upon all of Narnia," he pointed out.

"I'm not going to die," Sinaaq said with resolve in his voice.

"You don't know that," the king replied. He paused, and then added, "Why are you willing to take a risk for a woman you do not know?" Sinaaq chuckled morosely and shrugged.

"Why don't we call this my shot at righting at least one of the wrongs I have committed and leave it at that?" he responded.

Caspian stared at him for a moment; he had no reason to trust this man and yet here he was, considering letting him give his blood to Ava, which could potentially kill her. The man was right about one thing, however: he was much larger and did not have a kingdom that needed him alive and well. The king was unmarried—not for lack of trying—and had no heirs to take over if need be. He sighed and then gave Sinaaq a nod of agreement.

Sinaaq turned to the physician. "Alright, let us get this over with," he said, his tone one of resignation.

The physician nodded and started reaching into cabinets and flitting about the room. She sat something that resembled a coat rack next to the head of Ava's bed and turned back to the wooden table next to her.

"Hold out your arm," she commanded Sinaaq as she turned around with a glass bottle, which was attached to a long metal tube with a fleam attached to the end of it, in her hands.

She set it down on the bedside table and grabbed another bottle from her work table. Sinaaq squinted and scrutinized the loopy handwriting on the second bottle label—it was a mixture of vinegar, witch hazel, yarrow, mint, and Myrrh. She took the stopper out of the bottle and grabbed a rag from the table, putting the rag under his arm as she began to pour a bit of the mixture over the bend in his elbow. It tingled a bit and smelled funny. The elf replaced the stopper in the bottle and returned it to the work table. She then grabbed a nearby candle and began sterilizing the fleam with the flame.

"Mind telling me how this thing works?" Sinaaq asked nervously.

"I will insert the fleam into your arm where I can see your veins. If we are lucky, I shall hit the vein and blood will flow into the hollow, metal tube that I have attached to the fleam and into the glass bottle. It may help speed up the blood flow if you clench and unclench your fist," the physician explained simply. Sinaaq paled a bit, but otherwise remained stoic.

The elvish woman grabbed a rag and tied it tightly around his bicep just above the bend in his elbow. She flicked the bend a few times and watched as his veins puckered up.

"This should be easy, your fair complexion is working in your favor and I can see your veins quite clearly," she said, a little too happy for the prisoner's liking, readying the fleam.

Sinaaq took a calming breath and watched as she stuck the fleam into his arm. Immediately, blood started flowing through the tube and into the glass bottle. He started to clench and unclench his fist to speed things along, ignoring the discomfort in his arm.

After several minutes had passed, the bottle was full and the physician expertly replaced it with an empty one. Halfway through filling up the second vessel, Sinaaq was feeling very tired. At last, the bottle was full.

"This should be enough," the physician said, removing the fleam from his arm and taking the rag from around his bicep, using it to wrap up his elbow.

The two men watched as the physician prepared Ava's arm the same way she had Sinaaq's and inserted the fleam, then tied it in place with a leather strap. She then took the bottle of blood and hung it from the hooks of the "coat rack" so that the blood would flow out of it and into Ava's body.

"So what do we do now?" Caspian asked.

"Now we wait for a miracle. If either of you pray, I suggest you start doing it," the elf replied. Caspian looked to Sinaaq gratefully.

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done," he said sincerely. Sinaaq dismissed him with a wave.

"I just did what needed to be done," he said. He noticed he had to think extra hard to get each word out properly.

"Unfortunately, I cannot just hand you your freedom, though I might want to after this," Caspian said pointedly. "As soon as you have recovered, I am going to have to take you back to your cell to await your trial tomorrow. Although, I could forgo use of the shackles. And I think you'll find the council more receptive to you when they hear of this."

"Understandable," Sinaaq responded. "If you would just allow me a moment to rest, we can be on our way."

He stood up to move to a more comfortable spot, but as soon as he did so, the room spun and his knees felt too weak to hold him up. He barely comprehended the physician and Caspian easing him into a bed before he slipped into unconsciousness.


	8. Death and Rebirth

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except Ava, Melody, and the Guardians.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _The Venom_ by _Carter Burwell_ , _Hearts Failing_ by _Carter_ _Burwell_ , _Bella Reborn_ by _Carter Burwell_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Death and Rebirth**

When Sinaaq began to wake up, he was vaguely aware that he was being watched. As his memory returned to him, he realized he had no weapons on him, hopefully he wouldn't need them. He opened his eyes slowly and was greeted by the face of none other than Lady Ava, who was wide-eyed and rosy-cheeked, looking down at him. Her expression was hard to read and this worried him even more.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake," she said, her voice revealing nothing. Sinaaq stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you well?" he asked, sitting up on the bed. He noticed that the advisor was still in her chemise and there was a bandage on her left arm where the fleam had been inserted. She allowed herself a small smile.

"Yes, quite. The blood you gave me has helped tremendously," she replied.

Sinaaq gave her an amazed look. In truth, he had not believed that the procedure would work. There was an awkward silence for a few moments as he looked her over discreetly, finding no signs that she was ever on death's door.

Ava shifted her weight from one foot to the other absently as she turned her gaze to a particularly elaborate tapestry over the prisoner's bed. She had not thought of what she would say when he awoke. She was most certainly grateful to him, but her reservations about him kept her from saying as much.

At last, Sinaaq broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I apologize for my behavior when last we met, milady. It was uncalled for," he said. The woman looked rather surprised by his sudden change of behavior and just a tiny bit suspicious, as anyone would be, of his motives.

"I suppose a thank you is in order on my part. You did, after all, save my life, though I have yet to figure out why," she replied. She paused and locked eyes with him. "But I will."

Sinaaq was quiet. He honestly did not want to say anything that might incur her wrath again.

"The king told me everything that transpired while I was… _indisposed_ ," Ava said after a moment. "Why did you not tell me your story when I came to your cell?"

"I am not a very open person. I do not trust most people," Sinaaq replied. Ava nodded in understanding.

"I see. Not a particularly good excuse for withholding important information, however," she said. Sinaaq looked up her, his blue eyes locking with her grey ones.

"Would it have made a difference?" he asked earnestly.

"Well, you will have to make peace with the wolves; that, I cannot help you with. However, it would have saved you from a knee to certain…ahem…areas," the lady answered with a small smirk.

"That is true," Sinaaq agreed, smirking back at her. "You know, you could always make it up to me," he added, his smirk growing. Ava raised an eyebrow at him, looking none-to-pleased.

"Oh really? And how would I do that?" she asked. No need to ask why she should; he _did_ save her life. Sinaaq tilted his head to his right and pointed to his cheek.

"Don't you think you've had enough kisses?" Ava asked flatly.

"I could never get enough kisses from a pretty woman. And I want one that you've given me willingly," Sinaaq replied, smirking. Ava rolled her eyes and snorted.

"That is not likely to happen. _Ever_ ," she said. Sinaaq shrugged.

"I had to try," he responded.

All was silent again as the lady turned her attention to the window of the infirmary. The day was sunny and bright for a change and it made her long to walk in the gardens. She spared a glance at Sinaaq, an idea forming in her mind.

"You need returned to your cell until your trial," she said, pausing long enough to see his reaction. When he sighed in resignation and began trying to stand, she spoke again. "However, since I owe you one for saving me, why don't we take a walk in the gardens first? I assume you would like some fresh air, since it may be the last time you have any."

"Is that wise, milady? What if I try to take advantage of you or escape?" Sinaaq asked, one silvery eyebrow raised skeptically. Ava smiled at him, a smile that did not hold true sweetness.

"I think you already know I can handle myself," she said pointedly.

"That was when I was held back by shackles," Sinaaq pointed out. Ava nodded.

"That is true," she admitted. She paused and leaned close enough to him to kiss him if she chose and looked him dead in the eyes. "But if you try anything, I will not hesitate to kill you, and I will not fail."

* * *

Sinaaq, who always made it a priority to be at places on time, had arrived at the entrance of the gardens early and was waiting patiently for Ava to arrive. She had left him with a single guard—he wasn't sure if she was underestimating him or insulting him—and had instructed him to be taken to the gardens ahead of her so that she may change into more appropriate attire.

He sighed, his patience slowly waning; apparently, her ladyship was not quite as obsessive about being on time as most nobles. A large clock that was built into one tower of the palace told him she was five minutes late. He cracked his knuckles and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the stable wall. Although the sun was out, it was cold enough for a few remaining snow drifts to survive and he shivered. He was used to the cold, but he did not have his fur cloak at the moment to keep him warm.

At last, his senses were alerted by the sound of slow, tentative footsteps coming from the other side of the garden gates. Sinaaq guessed the size and weight of the person and figured it was Ava. If she was trying to sneak up on him, she wasn't very good at it. A twig snapped, followed by a few curses.

"Damn it!" the lady hissed quietly; she knew there was no way to sneak up on him now. Sinaaq smirked and turned his head in her direction just in time to see her appear around the corner.

Apparently, she had known it was going to be cold, as she was wearing many layers, which must have been why she was late. The outermost layer being a sleeveless, navy blue, knee-length ranging coat, the second being a dark purple tunic, which was slightly longer than the ranging coat, and had flowing, elbow length sleeves. The first layer, for the utmost warmth, was something long-sleeved and beige with matching beige tights. A beige sash was wrapped around her middle, making her curves noticeable, and her hair was twisted into a bun. Much to Sinaaq's dismay, there were black riding boots on her feet, which could only mean one thing.

"So, have you ever ridden a horse before?" Ava asked.

"Unfortunately yes," Sinaaq replied. The advisor smirked at his less-than-thrilled demeanor.

"Unfortunately? You're kidding! Horseback riding is one of the best things I can think of to pass the time," she said, pulling a pair of black, hide gloves out of her pocket and sliding them on.

"Not when the horse seems perfectly fine, then runs off with you the second you get on its back," Sinaaq replied, grimacing at the memory. Ava bit her lip and tried not to laugh at the image that appeared in her mind as she raised her hand to beckon to someone just out of sight.

On cue, a stable hand appeared leading two horses; one was black as night and decked out in the finest riding gear, with a monogrammed, lavender blanket under its saddle, the other horse was a deep brown and had gear that was almost as nice, with a blanket in Narnian red and gold under the saddle. Behind them were two guards, centaurs, armed with swords and bows. Ava turned back to him, looking both amused by his reaction and confident.

"The gardens of Cair Paravel are _quite_ large, so I like to ride my horse through them. I brought you a horse as well," she said, gesturing to the brown horse.

"You're not worried I'll ride off into the sunset?" Sinaaq asked with an eyebrow raise. Ava smirked and pointed to the centaurs.

"That's what _they_ are for," she said simply. "Now, will you follow me or no?" she asked him.

Sinaaq was beginning to think going immediately back to his cell wouldn't be so bad, but he did not want to forfeit what could very well be his last time outside, so begrudgingly, he approached the brown horse and took the reins from the stable hand. With his back turned toward Ava, he was unable to see her triumphant smile, but he swore he could feel it.

"Oh good," the lady said, approaching her own horse and mounting it with the elegance of someone who had been riding horses for years.

Sinaaq sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He had only been on a horse once, when he was a boy.

"Alright. Show me what I have to do," he grumbled. Ava smiled.

"Well, you need to mount first," she said. Sinaaq blinked and shook his head, attempting to clear away a few choice thoughts.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked. The lady stared at him and pointed to the saddle.

"The _horse_. You need to mount the horse," she said slowly.

"Oh! Yes, of course," Sinaaq replied.

"Just put one foot in the stirrup in front of you and swing your other leg over. With your height, it should be easy," Ava said.

Sinaaq took a deep breath and mimicked what he had watched her do only a moment before. Thankfully, he was successful and soon he was atop the large animal, his heart racing every time he felt its back sway. If Ava noticed his discomfort, she said nothing.

"Right then, now let us walk," she said. She dug her heels gently into the sides of her horse and it obeyed by starting a slow walk.

Sinaaq follow suit and was pleasantly surprised that his horse was equally obedient. As they rode, a gentle breeze blew and tousled Ava's hair, sending the scent of lavender in his direction. Though he tried to ignore it, for propriety's sake, he could not deny that it was a lovely, calming fragrance.

"Tell me, milady, are you quite used to getting everything you want?" he asked. She turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"This may come as a shock to you, but nobles do not always get what they want," she answered curtly.

"Fair enough," Sinaaq responded. Ava turned away from him and focused her attention on the beauty of the gardens.

They rode at a walk for quite a while in silence. Sinaaq loosened up and began to enjoy the ride a little, when it dawned on him that he had no idea where the advisor was taking him.

"Pray tell, where are we going? With Amarok lurking around Narnia, surely you're not thinking of going too far?" Sinaaq asked. Ava smirked, amused by his nervousness.

"Relax, we will be staying within the palace walls," she answered. She turned to look at him and appeared amused by something he was doing.

"You know, if you keep gripping the reins so tightly, you may send him off at a canter," the lady said, only half jesting. Sinaaq realized that his knuckles were white and felt embarrassed.

"My apologies," he said.

"Don't apologize to me, I think it'd be quite fun seeing how you handle yourself at that speed. The one you should apologize to Nick," Ava replied, gesturing to the horse he was riding.

"Oh…um…my apologies," Sinaaq mumbled awkwardly.

"Tis quite alright. Most people respond that way their first time," his horse said.

Sinaaq tried, and failed, to hide his surprise. He knew there were talking animals, but he had not expected one to allow itself to be ridden. _Perhaps it volunteered?_ He thought.

They rode through the gardens in silence for quite some time, occasionally stopping so Ava could pick some of the flowers that bloomed late into the year. It was pleasant, but it also made Sinaaq antsy; he was not used to such things and he wondered when he would be taken back to his cell to await his fate.

"What are we doing here?" he asked at last. Ava shrugged.

"Relaxing. Enjoying nature whilst nature is being enjoyable," she answered as she picked more flowers from a trellis.

"Ah, I see," Sinaaq said, sliding off of his horse and moving to stand next to her. The centaurs tensed at his actions, but made no move to apprehend him. Yet.

They stood in silence for the longest time. It seemed like the most boring thing in the world to do, but it was really rather enjoyable, to Sinaaq's surprise.

"So," Ava finally said, breaking the silence, "do you have a family, Sinaaq?" The question caught him off guard, but he recovered, pursing his lips.

"No, not anymore. I was what you might think of as an outcast among my people. Marrying and settling down would have been out of the question for me. It doesn't really matter now anyway; Amarok killed everyone I knew. I've never had time for things like friends or courting women; my time has been spent hunting," Sinaaq replied, staring out at the sea. Ava frowned.

"For someone who has never courted anyone, you are quite a flirt," she pointed out. Sinaaq smirked.

"Oh, I've had my fair share of women. I've just never _courted_ any of them," he replied. The advisor looked down at her hands, her cheeks a bit pink.

"I see. So you're a womanizer then?" she said. It wasn't a question.

"Of sorts, yes. My experiences are limited to courtesans," Sinaaq answered honestly. These sorts of things did not seem shameful to him. Ava's cheeks grew redder.

"Oh…" she trailed off. Sinaaq looked at her.

"And what of you? Is there a family in your life?" he asked. The lady snorted.

"I do not have any that I am aware of. Caspian found me in Lantern Waste about a year ago. I had no memory of anything but my name. I still don't. He took me in and before I knew it, he made me his advisor. I didn't argue much. It gave me the power to make a difference here in Narnia. Still, it's not something I planned on," she explained. Sinaaq listened intently.

"So what? No suitors pining for your hand? No children?" he asked, his voice somewhat jesting. Ava snorted again. Most people would have found it unladylike, but Sinaaq was amused by it.

"Caspian proposed once, but I declined. He will only ever be a friend to me. Other than him, no one has asked and I am fine with that," she replied.

"Why?" Sinaaq pressed. The lady sighed.

"Because all the men I meet are the same. Caspian is the only male I know who doesn't think me to be a helpless damsel who needs saving," she paused, "Perhaps I have said too much," she finished, a twinge of sadness in her voice, followed by a small cough. Sinaaq's brow furrowed.

"So you do not wish to find a worthy husband?" he asked. He knew he was pressing his luck, but he was quite curious and decided to keep asking until she made him stop.

"I do not wish," Ava began to cough again, this time more violently, "to speak of it, Sinaaq." Sinaaq nodded, then took note that her coughing, which had just started, was growing steadily worse.

"Maybe we should go back," he said. The lady waved her hand dismissively as she coughed.

"No, I am alright. It is just a tickle in my throat," she said unconvincingly. She cleared her throat, leaning her head forward and thumping her chest a couple of times.

"Alright then," Sinaaq relented, though he kept a closer watch on her.

For a moment, they were both silent.

"So…have you searched for your origins at all?" Sinaaq asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Ava peeked up at him.

"It's a bit of a long, dull story, I'm afraid," she replied. Sinaaq shrugged.

"I don't know about you, milady, but I have plenty of time. All the time in the world, in fact," he said. Ava looked at him, her brow furrowing.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"See, that's the thing, Amarok cannot be free of his fleshy prison until I die by his doing, because he failed to kill me all those years ago and I cannot die until I kill Amarok," Sinaaq explained.

Ava's eyes rolled up toward the sky as she tried to mull this new information out in her head. She looked back at him as he continued.

"I can be _killed_ , yes, but I cannot die any other way. Every day since I turned eighteen, my aging has slowed to a crawl, then finally stopped altogether. I cannot fall ill or die of any natural cause. That is why Amarok has taken to hunting me down; waiting around for me to die will get him nowhere. If, by some chance, I die by someone else's hands, then he is trapped in his wolfish prison forever," Sinaaq explained. Ava nodded in understanding.

"So just how old _are_ you?" she asked, her curiosity burning. The prisoner smirked.

"Old enough to know better, too young to care," he replied. The lady snorted, rolling her eyes a bit.

The two were silent for what seemed like forever, having taken a seat on a marble bench. Sinaaq looked up at the sky and noticed that it was a strange, foreboding color; the way a sky usually is before a hurricane or a tornado. Ava seemed to notice it as well, but had not suggested they go in yet.

"This is some weather we're having," Sinaaq said, breaking the silence.

"Apparently, this is what happens when our world goes too long without its Guardians," Ava replied absently. Sinaaq turned her, a quizzical expression on his face.

"What are guardians?" he asked, eager for something interesting to talk about.

"Ah yes, the Guardians of Narnia. Well, you see…"

The advisor launched into the history of the Guardians—what she knew of it—while Sinaaq listened intently. He took note of every expression and every wave of her hands as she spoke. It took about an hour, but at last, the entire story of the Guardians, that Ava knew, was told.

"So you see my predicament?" she asked as she finished, coughing a little. Sinaaq exhaled loudly.

"Yes. It is quite the predicament. So why are we here, loafing about with the flowers, while the world is burning?" he asked.

Ava looked down, chewing on her bottom lip. Sinaaq noted that her bottom lip was much pinker in color than her top lip and guessed that it came from years of chewing on it.

"I don't know. I usually come here to think. Caspian says we should go about our lives while we try to figure things out," she answered.

"I agree, best not panic in a crisis," Sinaaq said.

"I know, but it's quite difficult. I have no idea how much," she started to cough again, "time Narnia has left. And Caspian wants to continue with Narnia's annual Samonios masquerade ball," another cough interrupted her speaking.

Sinaaq sat up and stared at her intently. The advisor hacked and coughed for several moments before taking a deep, shaking breath. She cradled her head in her hands.

"I don't feel so well," she said with a groan.

Sinaaq's brow furrowed. She had been perfectly fine earlier. A small voice in the back of his mind remembered the physician's warning about the blood transfusion.

"Here, let us get back to the palace," he said as he stood up and offered her his hand, helping her to stand.

As he touched her, he noticed how warm she felt. He put his hand on the back of her neck and immediately took it away as though he had been burned. She definitely had a fever, which explained why her body was trembling so badly. How had he not noticed these things earlier? Had they just started? Ava leaned her head against a trellis, ignoring the flowers, and wrapped her arms around herself. The centaurs watching them began to shift, prepared to come to her aid if need be.

"I feel awful," she mumbled incoherently.

"Okay, milady, I want you to tell me _exactly_ how you feel," Sinaaq commanded, pulling her around so he could see her face. He put his hand on her neck, trying to check her pulse. When he found it, he was shocked to find that it was abnormally accelerated. Had it been like that all day? That would explain why her cheeks had been so flushed. He knew that he would never have been able to touch her this way had she been well.

"I feel sick to my stomach. My chest hurts and my heart is racing. My lower back hurts. And my arm is burning," Ava answered, her voice sounding much like that of a small child's.

"Which arm is burning?" Sinaaq asked, fear leaking into his tone.

"This one," the lady answered, holding up the arm that had been used to transfer blood into her body.

Sinaaq felt the blood drain from his face. He noticed that he could hear wheezing as she breathed. He cradled her chin in his hands and titled her head up so he could see her face. What he saw nearly made his heart stop. Blood had begun to trickle out of her nose at a rapid pace, but she did not seem to be aware of it. Ava opened her eyes groggily and saw his expression, but she took no notice of the blood that flowed down her lips.

"We should go back…" Ava trailed off as her eyes rolled back in her head and her body went limp.

* * *

Sinaaq had carried Ava to the palace as fast as his legs could carry, holding onto her limp body for dear life. Even though the centaurs insisted they could handle it, he had refused to let her go.

He had spared no time putting the horses back in the stables; instead handing them off to a groom and carrying her into the palace, trying not to jostle her too much as he ran. He skipped going to Caspian, not wanting to waste a moment, and took her straight to the infirmary. He looked around, but there was no one there. He laid her out on a bed and began removing her clothing until she was in her beige undershirt and riding pants. He tried to remain calm, but the truth was he had absolutely no idea what to do in this sort of situation.

Sinaaq grabbed a rag and began to clean away the blood, but it was of no use; the blood just kept coming and coming. He held the rag under her nose until it was soaked through with her blood, but he was too afraid to move to retrieve a new one. He desperately wished he knew where the doctor was. When her sinuses had filled completely, blood began to leak from her eyes like tears.

"Somebody help!" he cried at the top of his lungs, hoping beyond hope that someone would hear him. He tried to shake her awake.

"Ava, wake up," he whispered.

After moments of trying and failing to rouse her from her unconsciousness, he noticed that the bleeding had stopped. Maybe she was going to be alright? He placed his head to her torso in the center of her chest, near her ribcage. He listened…and listened…and listened. Nothing. Her heart had stopped. Sinaaq looked at her face and felt his breath leave him. Death was never an easy thing to witness, no matter how much one saw of it, but he was surprised by how much hers seemed to bother him.

Sinaaq became aware of running footsteps and sat up, looking towards the doorway. Caspian and the doctor appeared, shock registering on their faces as soon as they took in the scene.

"Oh Aslan. Is she…?" the king couldn't say the words.

"Dead," Sinaaq finished quietly.

Caspian made his way to the bed and sat down beside Ava's body. Once the reality of it all sank in, the king sobbed, bringing one of her hands to his lips and kissing it softly.

Sinaaq made a hasty exit from the room. He had no idea where he was going, but he wanted to be alone.

* * *

Ava felt warm and safe, wherever she was. She looked around, but she saw nothing but darkness. She was not even sure if she had a body anymore.

"Am I dead?" she wondered aloud. A warm chuckle sounded around her.

"Yes, young one. You are dead," Aslan said. Ava couldn't see him. In fact, she couldn't see anything but bright light, but she knew it was him.

"Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," she repeated. Though she was surprisingly calm, she couldn't stop thinking about Caspian, Trufflehunter, and Reepicheep, all left behind.

"Do not fret, dear one, for it is not your time," the Great Lion said as a light appeared. Ava tried to focus on the light, but it was much too bright to do so.

"What do you mean, Aslan?" she asked quizzically. The lion chuckled.

Suddenly, she felt a warm breeze, as if Aslan's face was right in front of her, blowing his warm breath on her face.

"Awaken now, _Shepherd_ , Narnia is in great peril and it will need you. This is just the calm before the storm," Aslan said.

The light dimmed until it was completely gone.

All of a sudden, Ava regained feeling in her body, bit by bit. She had expected to feel like she'd been run over by a dozen horses, but instead, she felt better than she ever had before in her life—that she could remember anyway. Her body seemed to be tingling with a raw power she had never felt before. Her chest started to rise and fall with her breathing again.

Ava Rydia opened her eyes.


	9. Alive

**Disclaimer:** Again, I own _**nothing**_ except Ava, Melody, Sinaaq, and the Guardians.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _Love Death Birth_ by Carter Burwell, _Eyes on Fire_ by Blue Foundation, _The Kings and Queens of Old_ by Harry-Gregson Williams

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Alive**

Everything was murky at first, though it did not take long to figure out why. Ava was covered by a thin veil. Her eyes darted from side to side, but the sheer fabric made it difficult to see properly. She twitched her fingers, making sure she could move them, before reaching a hand up and brushing the shroud away from her face.

She sat up slowly, taking in every detail of her surroundings as she did so; she was amazed to find that her vision was sharper than she remembered. Now, as she surveyed the Great Hall, she could see every miniscule swirl in the marble and nearly every engraving in the golden ceiling.

Ava looked down at herself only to find that she had been clothed in a black, empire-waistline gown with silver trimming and laid on a pedestal that had been placed on the dais where the throne usually was. Her hair, rather than being in its usual braid or bun, had been left down to cascade around down her shoulders to her waist, with honeysuckle flowers strewn through it. What really surprised her was that her long locks were no longer mahogany in color, but a pale, silver-white instead. The shroud that had covered her face had also covered her entire body.

She climbed off of the pedestal and nearly fell on her face. Were it not for her fast reflexes—that she did not remember having—she most certainly would have, for her legs had not been used for what was likely quite some time. She managed to stand up straight and carefully ventured away from the pedestal, looking around more. Every pillar in the room had black fabric wrapped around them from the ceiling to the base and the windows had been covered in black fabric as well, save for the large, stained glass window behind the dais.

Someone had prepared her body, and the Great Hall, for a funeral. Ava began to feel panic rising in her body, starting in the pit of her stomach. How long had she been dead?

All of sudden, one of the large doors to the entrance of the Great Hall opened. She froze where she stood as her handmaiden entered the room with the elvish physician, who was carrying a tray of what appeared to be oils and herbs; they could only have been coming there to tend to her body. The moment the two looked up and saw her, alive and standing before them, they too froze in their places. The physician, in her shock, dropped the tray, scattering its contents on the floor. The only noise in the room in that moment was the shattering of glass bottles and the clatter of the tray. For the longest time, the room was silent as the dead—no pun intended.

"It can't be!" Melody exclaimed, her voice barely above a whisper, at last breaking the silence. Ava managed a small smile and nodded.

"It is. I'm here. It's me," she answered softly.

The physician came forward tentatively, stepping around the tray, shattered glass, and spilled oils and herbs. Ava reached out her hand, allowing the elf to touch her. When she did, she immediately launched into a full-scale inspection of the young advisor.

"This is impossible! I looked you over myself! You were _dead_! How is it that you are alive and seemingly healed now?" she asked incredulously. Ava smiled.

"Aslan," she replied softly. Melody and the physician both gasped.

"You saw Aslan!?" the handmaiden asked. "What did he say? What was it like?" Ava put her hand up, stopping the inevitable onslaught of further questions.

"I promise I shall tell you later, but right now I need to know: how many days have passed since I…uh…died?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously. The elf and the younger woman glanced at each other, and then turned back to her. She stared at them intensely, waiting for a response.

" _How long_?" she repeated.

"A few days," Melody answered quietly, her voice cracking. Ava's eyes widened.

"A few…days? Oh dear. … How many know of my death? What has happened while I've been… _gone_?" she asked, her panic rising.

"The king has not told the rest of Narnia yet," the physician answered. "He wanted to keep the funeral private; he remembered you never did like large crowds. The only one who knows anything, besides us and him of course, is Sinaaq."

This news was a relief to Ava, but now her curiosity had been piqued. What _had_ happened to the prisoner after she'd lost consciousness?

"I see…" the advisor trailed off, searching for the right words. "And what has become of Sinaaq?" she asked with feigned disinterest. In truth, she worried that she may have scared the poor man to death right along with her, though she did not know why it mattered in the least.

"Well, his majesty was in no state to deal with a trial after…" Melody trailed off, fidgeting awkwardly.

"So what happened?" Ava pressed gently.

"It was a very complicated matter, milady," the handmaiden began , sounding rather nervous to be speaking of affairs that were, typically, above her station. "Despite his story, and the fact that he attempted to save your life, the man has still killed several of Narnia's talking wolves. However, his majesty still feels indebted to him."

"Melody, dear, you're rambling. Just tell me what fate has befallen the man," Ava said gently, trying to hurry her handmaiden along.

"Well…he is essentially still a prisoner, milady. The king declared that he would be allowed to roam around the palace, but he is to be escorted by guards at all times," Melody replied sheepishly. Ava raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"And why would Caspian declare such a thing?" she asked.

"For two reasons, milady," the physician piped up. "First reason being that he _did_ attempt to save your life. Second, his majesty figures that it would be better to use the prisoner to defeat Amarok _before_ sentencing him. The way he sees it, Sinaaq is under house arrest until his trial, which has been postponed until further notice. He hopes that this will keep the wolf packs appeased until then. The prisoner is not to be left alone; even guards are posted around his bedroom. He is to do anything the king asks of him and if he makes one wrong move he will either be killed by the guards or thrown back into his cell."

Ava nodded slowly, taking in the new information. She had to admit, Caspian's way of dealing with the situation seemed to be the best option for the time being, though she wondered how the wolves felt about letting the prisoner live in a luxurious palace. _Another conversation for another time, I suppose_ , she thought. She turned her attention back to the two women in front of her.

"So where is Sinaaq now?" she asked.

"He spends most of his time in the gardens, when his majesty has no use for him," Melody answered softly.

"Yes, and taking much of the alcohol I use for treating wounds with him," the physician grumbled.

Without saying another word, Ava pushed by the two and ran out the door; she kept running, unaware of the fact that she was running faster than she ever had and she wasn't tripping over herself or running out of breath. She ran to the gardens and began to search for the man in question. A small part of her felt terrible for not immediately searching for Caspian, he _was_ her closest friend after all, but the rest of her could not stand to let the man who had tried to save her—who had _watched her die_ , possibly by his blood—go on not knowing the truth. She owed him that much didn't she?

She decided to look for him by the climbing ice apples—the last place she had seen him before she died.

Sure enough, Sinaaq was sitting on the same bench they had sat on days before, letting the leaves on the trellis brush his ears as he leaned his head back, with a bottle of rum in one hand, mostly drained of its contents. Upon further inspection, she was able to see that there were still bloodstains on the marble.

Ava took a moment to take in the disheveled appearance of the man. Slowly, she approached him, coming at him from an angle that he might see her from his peripherals, so as not to startle the drunken warrior. When she was standing right next to him, having received no response, she spoke.

"Sinaaq?" she asked softly, hoping he would hear her.

The man looked up at her, his eyes glassy from the effects of the booze. He snorted, chuckling bitterly. Ava's brow furrowed as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Not quite the reaction I was expecting," she mumbled.

"So now my mind has taken to torturing me with realistic images of her. How splendid," Sinaaq muttered bitterly, apparently talking to himself. He seemed not to notice her new, silvery hair.

"Am I to understand that you think me to be a hallucination?" Ava asked, pursing her lips in mild annoyance. She wasn't entirely surprised, merely disappointed—for reasons unknown to her—at his reaction to her liveliness.

"She even sounds like her," Sinaaq mused, staggering to his feet and staring at the small woman, scrutinizing her.

Ava stared up at him, willing him to sober up and realize she was alive. Sinaaq reached out and pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Funny, I don't remember my imagination being able to take on solid form," he mused, his voice surprisingly clear for a drunken man.

 _He's imagined me?_ Ava wondered. She shook away her thoughts and grabbed the man's shoulders, forgetting for the time being how muscular they really were.

"Sinaaq, _listen to me_. You are _not_ hallucinating. This is _not_ your mind playing tricks on you. It's _me_! I'm _real_!" she said, trying to be firm with him. Sinaaq chuckled.

"I've never seen Ava with her hair down," he mused. The woman hit her forehead in frustration.

"Ugh! What will it take to make you believe I'm _alive_ , damn it!?" she exclaimed.

Ava stopped, mid-rant, when another idea came to her. _I'm sorry about this_ , she thought. Without warning, she brought her knee up into his groin, though not as hard as she had before. Sinaaq made an _oof_ noise and doubled over in pain. She stood there, looking down at him, with her arms crossed. When the man looked back up at her he seemed to have sobered up a bit. He straightened up and looked at her carefully, his eyes boring into hers.

"But how is it possible?" he asked softly. Ava smiled, relieved that she didn't have to further convince him.

"Aslan did it. I'm not sure why," she answered.

They stood for a moment, silently staring at each other, until Sinaaq realized what he was doing and stepped back, looking at anything but her. Ava frowned.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Everyone will want to see you, especially his majesty. You should go back," he answered, his face unreadable.

"What will you do?" she asked, feeling much too disappointed for her liking.

"I think I'll stay here for a while. I like to avoid sappy reunions," he said, only half jesting. His answer seemed more callous than she expected, though not unlike something he would say.

"Oh," Ava responded softly, "Alright then. I suppose I shall see you later. Maybe you could stay for supper as I'm sure Caspian will want to celebrate?" she said.

"I doubt I shall have a choice in the matter," Sinaaq responded, referring to his terms of imprisonment.

Ava turned away and left to search for Caspian, trying to understand why she felt so glum all of sudden, leaving Sinaaq to process everything alone.

* * *

As predicted, Caspian was overjoyed to have Ava back and demanded that she tell him everything over a lavish dinner. He had immediately sent the servants to work in the kitchen and asked that they break out the best tableware they owned (save for the wedding china).

Ava thought it was all a bit much, especially when the only people who attended dinner in the palace regularly were Caspian, Reepicheep, Trufflehunter, Melody, and herself. Occasionally, the physician would join them as she most likely would tonight.

She never did like it when people made a big deal of things. Yes, coming back from the dead _was_ a big deal, but it was something that she felt would be better served to be rejoiced over and then forgotten about. It was one thing to be the center of attention for coronations and birthdays, but it was another thing to be the center of attention for coming back from the dead. It seemed so awkward and uncomfortable to her. How could they congratulate her on something she had no control over and did not fully understand? _At the very least,_ she thought, _we shall most certainly be eating my favorite foods this evening._

Ava had decided to relax with a hot bath beforehand.

She had been sitting in the water for so long that her skin was starting to wrinkle, but she still did not feel relaxed. She sighed and looked down at the water, which had grown tepid about an hour ago. She continued to stare at it, wishing it was hot again. To her surprise, she felt the water begin to warm around her until it was too hot to sit in it. She clambered out of the tub quickly, staring at it in disbelief. Surely she was imagining things! However, when she dipped her foot back in the water to test it, she found it to be scalding hot. Ava ran a shaking hand through her wet hair. _I must be losing what is left of my sanity. Must be the after-effects of being dead._

She squeezed the excess water from her hair and padded into her bedroom. She needed to dress for dinner, but right now, she was too busy trying not to panic. She did not realize how much time had passed, until there was a knock on the door, startling her out of her reverie. She made sure her robe was closed all the way and opened the door a bit. To her surprise, Sinaaq was standing there, with two centaurs behind him. She felt heat rise to her cheeks under his gaze and subconsciously pulled her robe tighter.

"Sinaaq, what a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to my suite?" she asked, trying to keep the embarrassment out of her voice.

"Dinner has started and everyone was wondering where you were. I volunteered to retrieve you," he answered, smirking slightly. Ava felt confused by Sinaaq's sudden change in attitude, but chose to keep her confusion to herself.

"Oh dear, my apologies. I was…reading and I…uh…dozed off," she replied, trying to sound convincing. Sinaaq raised an eyebrow at her, suggesting he didn't buy her excuse, but he did not push the subject.

"So will you be joining us?" he asked, his eyes focused very firmly on her face as if he were trying to ignore the rest of her.

Ava was all too aware that she had chosen to wear her blue satin robe, which clung to her still-damp body too much to be appropriate. She blushed more.

"Uh…yes, of course. Just give me a moment to change into something more appropriate," she answered.

"Alright, shall I let them know you will be joining us in a month?" Sinaaq asked with a chuckle.

Ava, without a better comeback, stuck her tongue out at him, choosing to ignore the immaturity of it, and closed the door. She rushed to her armoire to look for something appropriate to wear and settled on a simple, lavender gown, with an empire waistline, that tied around her neck and had no sleeves. It had been a birthday gift from the ruler of Calormene, and as such had a different style than those of Narnian clothing; it had also come with a silver, lion-head brooch to pin between her breasts and two, silver armbands to match. She everything on and quickly tied the ribbons around her neck; she then ran a brush through her hair and braided it. She slid on simple shoes and opened the door, surprised to see Sinaaq still waiting for her.

"I'm impressed, princess, that was much quicker than I expected," he said with a smirk. Ava raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why do you call me princess? That is incorrect," she said, only mildly annoyed. Sinaaq's smirk grew.

"Because I can," he answered.

The advisor rolled her eyes. She closed the door to her suite and locked it behind her, then stashed the key in her dress. She turned to Sinaaq, who was waiting patiently.

"You did not have to wait for me. Surely, you must be hungry," Ava said. Sinaaq smiled.

"It's the polite thing to do. I also thought you might like company as you make the painstakingly long walk to the Great Hall," he replied.

Ava found it hard to meet his eyes. She looked up as Sinaaq held his elbow out to her.

"May I escort you, milady?" he asked with a smile. Ava nodded and put her slender hand in the crook of his arm and let him lead her to the Great Hall, followed of course, by the two guards.

* * *

Dinner was a much more silent affair than Ava had expected. After Caspian had toasted to her health and welcomed her back, they had settled down to the most lavish meal they'd had outside of a ball. Every time Caspian opened his mouth to ask her what had happened he found himself distracted by questions and comments from Sinaaq.

Ava was confused, for she had not yet seen Sinaaq be that vocal around most people. He kept asking random questions about things she _knew_ he could care less about. Whatever the reason, she was grateful for the distraction. She ate her food hastily and announced that she was retiring for the night; she tried to exit the room swiftly without appearing to be in a hurry.

Once she was out of the room, she sighed in relief and decided to head to the library for a bit of reading before bed. There was no rain tonight, so she decided to take the book she had chosen and read out on the balcony.

As she was reading she heard a bloodcurdling howl pierce the night. All the hairs on the back of her neck rose and her blood ran cold. She stood up and ventured to the railing, looking out into the night. The terror coursing through her veins distracted her from noticing that her night vision was much better than it had been before. She looked towards the Eastern Sea and that's when she saw it. On the beach, silhouetted against the silvery light of the moon, was a large animal on all fours. Two glittering, silver eyes stared straight at her, even though she was much too far away for any _normal_ creature to know she was there.

Ava was frozen in place and could not look away no matter how hard she tried. As she stood there, fearing for her life despite the safety of the palace, it began to sleet. Though she was freezing, she couldn't move away from those eyes.

All of a sudden, a large hand rested on her shoulder. The lady screamed bloody murder and whirled around to face her opponent only to see Sinaaq standing there, one hand up in surrender and the other clenched in a fist and placed conveniently in front of his crotch. The advisor clutched her chest as if somehow that would slow her racing heart. She had not noticed that there were no guards following the prisoner this time.

"Don't do that!" she exclaimed. "Next time you enter a room, ring a bell or stomp your feet or something!"

"My apologies, I just came to look for something to read," Sinaaq said, trying to refrain from smirking. He turned serious when he saw the fear in Ava's grey eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. The advisor's eyes flickered to the spot she had been fixated on before. Sinaaq followed her glance and saw nothing. He looked back down at her.

"There's nothing there now," he said. Ava whipped around and scanned the beach, becoming more and more panicked when she didn't see anything.

"You don't understand! I saw him! He-he was there! I—" she stammered, pointing to the beach; she was beginning to hyperventilate in her distress. Sinaaq grabbed her shoulders firmly and looked her in the eyes. He had never seen her look so terrified.

"Tell me, _calmly_ , what you saw," he said slowly. Ava looked in his eyes, her voice quivering as she spoke.

"Amarok," she whispered.

Sinaaq felt the blood drain from his face but he kept his visage impassive. He did not want to frighten her further. He looked out towards the beach, but saw nothing. His brow furrowed; he also noticed that the sleeting had stopped. He closed the balcony doors, locked them, and turned to Ava.

"Don't worry about it now," he said. "You should get some rest."

"I do not know if I can rest after seeing him. If he can take down a whole village of giants, the guards of Cair Paravel may be no match for him," Ava replied fearfully. Typically, she was not a helpless damsel, but against Amarok, she felt like a small child. That wolf had been responsible for her death.

"Yes, I know, but staying up all night worrying about it will not help the matter either," Sinaaq pointed out.

"I may head to the sparring room and practice archery for a while," Ava said, mostly to herself. At the mention of a sparring room, Sinaaq's interest piqued.

"Would you be opposed to me joining you?" he asked. Ava looked up at him with one eyebrow raised; she had just noticed the lack of _homo-equine_ escorts.

"Aren't you supposed to have guards on you at all times?" she asked pointedly. Sinaaq chuckled.

"In truth, I'm surprised they did not burst in with spears at my throat when you screamed—they are waiting outside the doors," he answered. Ava snorted.

"The library was meant to keep distracting sounds out. If they had known I was in here, they would not have let you come in alone for that very reason," she explained.

"I see," Sinaaq responded. After a pause he asked, "So…about that sparring?"

"I shall notify the guards that you will be joining me, but then I'll need to change out of this gown," she answered. In all honesty, she was grateful that she did not have to be alone.

"Alright," Sinaaq conceded, following her out of the library.

As they headed toward the east wing, they conversed in trivial things to keep things light. Ava revealed that the palace was, in fact, _not_ the original Cair Paravel; the original had been destroyed many years ago during the siege of Caspian I. When Caspian X had come into power, he'd insisted on rebuilding the palace to its former glory.

He had been lucky enough to find the old blueprints and had made it almost exactly like the original, save for the placement of the secret treasure room, which held many of the possessions of the kings and queens of old. This included the gifts from Father Christmas that were not being used.

"Sadly, no one has been able to find the treasure room. Not even Caspian or myself. 'Tis a shame; I heard that the gifts Father Christmas gave to Queen Elizabeth and King Tyler are down there. I've always wanted to try my hand at blade fighting. Or close combat fighting in general," Ava said.

"You've never fought in close combat before?" Sinaaq asked dubiously. The advisor shook her head.

"No, my specialty is archery. I've never been very good at anything else. Oh, I know enough hand-to-hand to keep me alive, but only until I can get to my arrows again," she answered.

"We shall fix that soon enough," Sinaaq said. Ava raised an eyebrow at him.

"You fight in close-quarter combat?" she asked. She remembered seeing his spear and shield, but she had assumed the spear was for throwing.

"Yes, always. Maybe you can teach me archery?" Sinaaq asked, smirking down at her. Ava still could not understand what he was always smirking about.

"It would be my pleasure," she replied. Sinaaq smiled down at her.

By now, they had arrived at the advisor's suite, which had previously belonged to Queen Lucy and then Queen Elizabeth; at least it had in the original castle. Any furniture that had been salvaged from the original had been put in the new castle where it had most likely been in the old.

Sinaaq waited outside while Ava changed. When she reemerged from the room, the lavender dress was gone and she was wearing a black, under-bust corset that laced up in the front. Under it, she wore a lilac peasant blouse with long, puffy sleeves and a drawstring neckline that fell off her shoulders. With this, she wore boots similar to her riding ones and black breeches. Sinaaq's breath caught in his throat and he coughed.

"Are you alright, Sinaaq? Not getting ill I hope," Ava said idly as she began walking in the direction of the training room, expecting him and the guards to follow.

"No, no, I am quite alright," Sinaaq answered, sounding rather unconvincing.

* * *

They had been training for hours on end, and Sinaaq was realizing just how easy it was to frustrate the tiny woman. He had to hand it to her: she was _determined_ to get things right. However, her determination turned into an obsession and she would not quit until she got something down. What he found most intriguing was the fact that she was stronger and faster than he remembered and did not seem to be wearing down at all.

They had started off the sparring with Ava teaching Sinaaq how to shoot a longbow. To her surprise, he picked it up almost immediately, turning out to be a natural at it. After less than an hour, they had moved to hand-to-hand combat. Sinaaq thought it would be safer to start off with _out_ daggers or short swords and he was thankful he had done so.

Currently, he was teaching her how to grapple. Although she had grown stronger, he was still making it difficult for her to knock him off his feet. Sinaaq knocked her to the ground again, cradling her head so it did not hit the floor.

"You still aren't getting it right," he said, emphasizing each word to annoy her further and smirking slightly. Ava growled and wriggled in his grasp, attempting to get a better hold on him, but it was no use.

"Let's try again," Sinaaq said, standing up and placing her in front of him; she was so easy to move, like a little doll. She stared him down, every muscle in her body tense as she clasped hands with him.

"Ready? … Go!" Sinaaq commanded.

Immediately, Ava tried to knock him off his feet. Sinaaq stood there, teasing her by pretending to look bored, while she struggled. At last, she stepped forward and hooked her leg around one of his then pulled on it while pushing him away. She did it so fast that she managed to catch him off guard and he soon fell to the ground.

However, when he realized he was falling, he grabbed her and took her down with him, causing her to yelp in surprise. When they landed, she was lying on top of him and he was smirking triumphantly. Ava glared at him and stuck her tongue out like a petulant child.

"Don't stick your tongue out, milady, unless you intend to use it," Sinaaq admonished jestingly.

The advisor rolled her eyes and pushed herself up. As she tried to stand up—without stepping on Sinaaq—she tripped and fell into a suit of armor that they had landed precariously close to. Ava flinched and put her arms over her head, expecting the suit of armor to come toppling down on her…but it did not budge.

The two of them stood there, waiting for something to happen, but the only thing out of place was one of the arms, which held a small battle axe. After deciding it was relatively safe, Ava stood up and pushed the arm back into place. As soon as she did, the wall that held all the archery targets (the wall parallel to the door) shifted; one piece of the wall with a target on it slid back, and then disappeared with the sound of stone grinding against stone, revealing a hidden passageway. Sinaaq and Ava stared at each other in disbelief then back at the passage.

"Do you think it's safe?" the lady mused. Sinaaq crossed the room to the passage and looked inside as much as he could without stepping through the door.

"There appears to be a staircase leading down," he said, not exactly answering the question. Ava grabbed a small candelabrum from a pedestal and joined him at the door.

"Should we investigate?" Sinaaq asked. Ava looked up at him with mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Most certainly," she said as she led them into the passage.

They only needed to walk three feet before they came to the stairs. They descended the spiral staircase carefully, for the candles only provided a small amount of light. Thankfully, the staircase was not very long and they reached the bottom quickly.

Ava moved the candles around, and found that, to her left, there was a large marble bowl of oil on a pedestal. Carefully, she removed a candle from the candelabrum and touched the flame to the liquid. Instantly, the oil ignited, causing her to jerk her hand away, leaving the candle behind.

As soon as the flames had grown, the light shone on a mirror, which sent a beam of light to another mirror, and so on, lighting up the entire room.

Sinaaq and Ava stood at the foot of the stairs, gaping in awe at the long lost treasure room of Cair Paravel.


	10. The Treasure Room

**Disclaimer:** I only own Ava, Sinaaq, Melody, and the Guardians.

This chapter is much shorter than the previous chapters, but don't worry, they'll get longer again when I have more to write.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _The Kings and Queens of Old_ by Harry-Gregson Williams

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Treasure Room**

The treasure room wasn't filled with piles of gold coins and jewels like one would expect it to be. Rather, there were six alcoves, each with a statue posed behind a large trunk. As Ava and Sinaaq stepped further into the room, they could see that the statues were of the kings and queens of old and of the two previous Guardians.

Ava made her way to the alcove containing the statue of Queen Lucy the Valiant. She curled her fingers around the top of the trunk and lifted, finding it to be unlocked. She lifted the lid all the way and peered inside the chest. She already knew that Lucy's cordial would not be amongst her possessions, for Caspian always kept it on his person in case of an emergency. The dagger that she had received from Father Christmas was still there, lying atop every article of clothing the queen had ever owned, every shoe, her crown, and a few other possessions.

Lucy had never been a very material person, unlike Queen Susan the Gentle, and did not have as many shoes or jewels as one might expect. Ava picked up the dagger and unsheathed it, turning it over it her hands. It was beautiful, and still in perfect condition, but she was not interested in it and moved on to Queen Susan's trunk.

Sinaaq was busy inspecting the contents of King Edmund's trunk. King Peter's trunk had not been very interesting, as Caspian now owned and used Peter's sword _Rhindon_. King Edmund's sword was very nice, though nothing of particular amazement. He put it back in the trunk and closed it; he turned around and saw the fifth alcove, containing a statue of another king and a trunk.

Ava found many beautiful things in Queen Susan's trunk, but nothing that truly interested her. Granted, Queen Susan's bow and arrows were spectacular, but Ava preferred to use her own, which were made specially for her. She felt a small tingle run down her spine and felt a strong urge to look through Queen Elizabeth's trunk; she made her way to it, and put her hands on the lid. She felt a warm sensation spread through her body as she slowly opened the trunk. The only things inside it were the things she had been searching for—Elizabeth's pair of sai and her wand.

Ava exhaled softly as she reached out to touch the main shaft of one of the weapons. The metal felt warm under her fingertips, though she didn't know why. She picked up the sai, one in each hand, and turned them in the light. According to legend, the gifts that Father Christmas bestowed upon the Guardians were mildly sentient and would only work properly for their masters. Ava grabbed Elizabeth's leather belt from the trunk and put it on, then sheathed the sai in their sheaths on each side. It felt good to have them; almost like they were made for her.

She looked down at Elizabeth's wand. Although she had only been interested in the sai, the wand suddenly had her full attention, as if it was calling to her, begging her to touch it. She reached out and let her fingertips brush it. As she did, she felt something pulse through her body and come alive inside her. She grabbed the wand and lifted it from the trunk, twirling it in her hand a couple times like a fighting staff. It seemed to glow, but maybe it was just the way the light was hitting it. Ava looked around the room for Sinaaq, her eyes finding him kneeling in front of King Tyler's open trunk.

She stood there for several moments, staring at him. She had spent many a time gazing at him lately and she remembered how she stared at him the night she found him bleeding on the stairs. He was a handsome man, though that was not why she often found herself gawking at him. Honestly, she did not know much about him, aside from the bits of his past he had told her and Caspian. She didn't know what books he liked to read or what his favorite color was, but she did know that he could not ride horses to save his life, he had a sense of humor that annoyed the hell out of her, and he always had a twinkle in his eyes and a smirk on his lips that she couldn't place.

She thought about the sacrifice he had made for her. He gave his blood, and risked his life, to save her. She thought about his reaction when she was dying and how he reacted when he realized she was alive. He was so damn confusing. Ava shook her head, her subconscious admonishing her. _Stop it, Ava. Don't be a fool!_ The advisor sighed and made her way over to him to see what he was doing.

Sinaaq had found himself in quite the predicament. When he had opened King Tyler's trunk, the only items it contained had been a ring and a strange looking whip. He had marveled over the detail of the individual, razor-sharp blades that made up the "links" of the whip. That was when he had tried to pick it up.

As soon as his fingers touched the handle, the whip shuddered, and then started to writhe and squirm as if it was alive. Sinaaq's brow furrowed. Suddenly, the weapon lashed out at his outstretched arm like an angry snake and wrapped around it, digging its blades into his arm until they drew blood.

Sinaaq cried out and grabbed the coiled part of the whip and picked it up, trying to figure out how to make the damned thing let go of him. He tried pulling it and shaking it off, but it refused to go anywhere.

"Sinaaq? What did you find?" Ava asked from behind him, having heard his yelp. He turned around, holding his arm up for her to see. Her eyes widened.

"Oh my…"

"I can't make it let go! I don't understand what's happening!" he exclaimed. Ava could hear a note of panic in his tone.

She approached him cautiously and reached out to touch his arm. The whip shuddered, but did nothing. She grabbed at it at different places, trying to make it let go of him.

"Damnit, let go!" she mumbled, frustrated. At once, the whip shuddered and fell into the trunk, lifeless. She stared at it in surprise—right before Sinaaq slammed the lid down and latched it, breathing hard. Ava turned to him, scrutinizing the bleeding wounds on his arm.

"They might need stitches. We won't know until we get you upstairs and get them cleaned off," she said.

"I've never had _that_ happen before," Sinaaq muttered, running a hand through his hair, which had become slightly more silver since he had met the king's advisor.

"Best not be messing with that thing again anytime soon," Ava said.

"Agreed," Sinaaq said.

An awkward silence fell over them as they stood in front of the trunk, unsure of what to do now. Sinaaq looked up at Ava and caught her gaze.

The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Almost without thought, Sinaaq took a step towards her—and that's when they heard the voice of Caspian at the top of the stares.

"Hello? Is there anyone down there?" he called.

Sinaaq stopped moving toward Ava and turned toward the staircase. The advisor tilted her head at him, confused by his actions.

"Yes, Caspian, we're down here!" she called back.

"We?" Caspian asked, coming down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom, staring in awe. "Amazing! I haven't been able to find this place since we rebuilt this castle! How did you two find it?" he asked. Ava yawned and pushed past Sinaaq, making her way toward the stairs.

"We shall tell you in the morning. In the meantime, I am going to retire for the night, I'm exhausted," she said. Caspian chuckled.

"For the night? Milady, it's already breakfast time. You have been awake all night. When neither of you showed up for breakfast, I came looking for you," he said. The advisor sighed, looking tired all of a sudden.

"Alright, let me go freshen up first then I shall meet you in the Great Hall," she conceded. She turned and gave Sinaaq a polite nod and then headed up the stairs and out of sight.

Caspian looked after Ava then turned and looked at Sinaaq with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something going on that I do not know?"

Sinaaq began to make his way up the stairs, stopping right next to Caspian. "No," he answered curtly before ascending the stairs and heading to his room.


	11. Masquerade

**Disclaimer:** I own _**nothing**_ except Ava, Sinaaq, August, Melody, and the Guardians.

 **Note:** Ava's masquerade gown was somewhat inspired by Margaery Tyrell's first wedding gown in _Game of Thrones_ (which I also do not own). In my mind, the Narnian accent is sort of English, but different in a way, the Telmarine accent is the one used in the latest _Prince Caspian_ movie, Calormenes sound Middle Eastern, and Archenlanders sound like a Scottish/Irish mix. I don't know if there are any "canon" accents.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _Masquerade_ from Andrew Lloyd Webber's _The Phantom of the Opera_ , _Moon Trance_ by Lindsey Stirling (the first dance), _All I Need_ by Within Temptation (the second dance) _Criminal_ by Britney Spears (no judgment please)

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Masquerade**

In the days that followed, the chaos of the world seemed to die down in some ways…right before it picked up in other ways. The heavy raining, snowing, sleeting, and hailing had ceased, the river filled up and the Eastern Sea was calmed.

However, the random fires grew more prevalent, and the raging winds developed into full-scale tornadoes that destroyed everything in their path. The length of the days and nights were still irregular; sometimes there would be days without light and nights without darkness. Lightning storms were just as common as the tornadoes, and even caused some of the fires. People's spirits seemed to change and darken; they became restless and violent and abandoned the peace and serenity that was Narnia.

"This is exactly why we need to have this masquerade!" Caspian insisted one day as Ava tried to convince him to cancel it.

"We need to remind the people of Narnia what we stand for. We need to give them some hope. What better way to do that than with merrymaking?" the king asked with a smile. Ava sighed in resignation.

"Besides, the invitations have already been sent out. I even took the liberty of inviting every talking wolf in Narnia. It will give Sinaaq a chance to make peace with them," Caspian pointed out. The advisor groaned softly and left the room to take her frustration out on some practice dummies. She loved the king like a brother, but sometimes he could be _hopelessly_ optimistic.

Thinking of Sinaaq frustrated her even more. The two of them had not had contact in the previous days and she was convinced that he was avoiding her. Though, if she was being honest with herself, she had been spending mass amounts of time in the sparring room with the sai and wand, telling herself that she _wasn't_ avoiding him. Being around him confused her; she was never quite sure how to respond to him.

She entered the practice room only to find Sinaaq, shirtless; doing what appeared to be stretches before training. She told herself that she should leave, that this was inappropriate, but she could not look away. She watched him move and saw the muscles tighten and relax in his back and arms.

All of a sudden, he turned around, catching her staring at him. Ava's eyes widened and she froze, heat rising in her cheeks. He merely smirked.

"See something you like, princess?" Sinaaq asked, stepping toward her. Ava took a minute to regain her composure, fighting to keep eye contact with him, choosing to ignore his nickname for her.

"Uh…um…I…I just came to remind you of the Samonios masquerade ball," she stammered, making up an excuse. The look on Sinaaq's face suggested that he didn't buy it.

"Thank you for 'reminding me', but parties are not really something I enjoy. I shall probably spend the night in the library and avoid the festivities," he said. At this, the advisor tilted her head. She had never met someone who did not enjoy a masquerade ball.

"Why do you not enjoy them? There will be plenty of food and dancing," she asked.

"The food sounds wonderful, but I do _not_ dance," Sinaaq replied, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.

"You do _not dance_? I've never heard of such a thing! Why do you not dance? It's such a wonderful thing to do! I find myself dancing whenever the mood strikes me," Ava said. Sinaaq smirked.

"I know you do. I've seen you when you think nobody is watching," he said. The advisor blushed furiously and pretended to find something interesting about the floor.

"Dancing is something I never took an interest in. Some of the women in the brothels I went to tried to teach me, but I politely declined," Sinaaq added.

Ava shook her head in disbelief. She could not believe that someone didn't like dancing. She was also going to have to be careful about when she decided to dance. She chewed on her bottom lip.

"Unfortunately, Sinaaq, you will _have_ to attend the masquerade," she said.

"And why is that?" Sinaaq asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Caspian has invited every talking wolf in Narnia from Ettinsmoor to the edges of Archenland. He thought the masquerade would be a good chance for you to make peace with them. Though you will still have to have a trial, he thinks this may…uh… _soften_ the sentence a bit," Ava answered.

Sinaaq sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. "I suppose meeting them during a crowded masquerade would be much better than the alternative?" he asked.

"Meeting them in a private setting? Yes," Ava answered honestly.

"Alright. Fine. I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter, but do not expect to see me dancing," Sinaaq conceded. The advisor smirked.

"Of course not," she said, before turning to leave.

"When is the masquerade?" Sinaaq asked after her.

"In a fortnight," Ava called over her shoulder as she left the room.

* * *

The fourteen days before the masquerade flew by in no time at all. Those days were spent planning and preparing and decorating the castle. Most of that time, Ava and Sinaaq did not see much of each other. The advisor spent most of her time in her room, trying to find a way to call new Guardians, for it seemed as though Narnia was running out of time. If she was not in her room, she was in the sparring room.

As the days passed, she had more strange occurrences with water and started experimenting. She found that she was able to heat and cool water just by staring at it. It wasn't much, but it brought her mind back to the legend of the Guardians and the fact that there was a Guardian for each element. Since she had died, the element of water seemed to have calmed.

Sinaaq spent his time either in the sparring room—when Ava was not there—or holed up in the library reading. He had already made it through one section of the library and was rapidly finishing off the first level.

* * *

The night of the masquerade had finally come and everyone in the palace was rushing around to get everything ready in the Great Hall. The musician—a wood elf who played the violin and sang like a siren—came early to practice, filling the castle with her beautiful music.

The Great Hall was filled with creatures and humans and talking animals of all kinds before the sun had finished setting; all were in masks and costumes of some sort.

Sinaaq had chosen to wear all black with a black, snarling, wolf mask that covered the top half of his face. It seemed appropriate. Though as soon as he saw the talking wolves, he took the mask off. He thought it would be better to leave it off until after he had spoken with them, that is, _if_ they accepted his act of contrition. Honestly, what could one say to the people whose friends and family he had murdered that could possibly make it better?

He kept to the shadows and the less crowded areas of the room until he saw Caspian approach him, followed by several large wolves. Sinaaq exhaled slowly. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

Ava took deep breaths to calm herself as she approached the doors that lead to the Great Hall. The masquerade had started already and she would be expected to make an entrance. Most people of Archenland and Calormen were still not as familiar with her as they were with Caspian. She really hated having people stare at her, but it often came with being the king's advisor. She was even more nervous than usual due to her costume—it was a style from Archenland, which happened to show more skin than those of Narnia (though not as much as those of Calormen).

With another deep breath, she motioned for the guards to open the doors, announcing her arrival.

* * *

The wolves had been much more civil than Sinaaq had anticipated; though some of them were still skeptical of him, most begrudgingly accepted his regretful confession. They offered to accept a lighter sentence under the condition that he never hunt again—a condition that would be difficult to uphold, since he had grown up hunting—especially after he told them of Amarok.

By the end, Sinaaq walked away with his limbs still intact, though he could not shake the feeling that things had been _too_ easy.

Since nothing more had been required of him for the evening, he had decided to retreat to a bench in a corner of the room and read a book he had brought with him. He could have left, with the guards in tow, but he was somewhat curious to see what Ava had come as and, if he was being honest, he wanted to see her dance again.

Silence fell over the room and Sinaaq looked up from his book to see what had happened. The advisor had made her grand entrance and was gliding past him into the Great Hall.

Her gown was the color of the Eastern Sea and shimmered in the light. It had a low neckline—exposing much of her chest and a bit of cleavage—and flowed from her body like an indigo waterfall. The bodice exposed much of her back and a bit of her sides in a diamond shape and was decorated with a pattern of glass beading and embroidery that looked like fishes and leaping mermaids. The train of her gown was covered in more mermaids and encrusted with pearls and bits of fabric shaped like water flowers. The sleeves did not go past the very top of her shoulders, exposing the entirety of her ivory arms, which were decorated with silver armbands.

She must have been wearing slippers with heels, for she was a bit taller than usual. Her hair was left down, but had been curled in ringlets and pulled back in intricate braids at the sides. Atop her head, she wore a silver tiara that looked like writhing sea waves decorated with pearls. Her mask matched her gown and was encrusted with pearls and the occasional seashell.

Sinaaq felt himself unable to concentrate on his book any longer as he observed Ava from his peripheral vision. Though he could see how nervous she was, she was poised and charming as she moved through the room, conversing with anyone that came to her and smiling and nodding at the appropriate times. He watched as she made a beeline for the long table adorned with every food imaginable (and even some that he couldn't imagine) and poured herself a goblet of blackberry wine, unceremoniously downing it and fidgeting uncomfortably.

* * *

Her second goblet of wine in, the violinist started playing something new and fast-paced. Though the center of the room was free for dancing, nobody stepped up to do so; no one wanted to be the first. By now, the wine had calmed Ava's nerves and she felt confident enough to step out in front of everyone, despite their staring. It was customary for the king to start off the dancing, but he seemed to have forgotten this in favor of watching his advisor become flustered. She could see him from across the room, looking encouraging yet amused, and vowed that she would repay him for her trouble.

"Will anyone accompany me for a dance?" she asked, pretending to be coy.

As she looked around, her eyes caught sight of Sinaaq. His nose was buried in a book, and surely he did not notice what she was doing. She was surprised to find him still there, despite his dislike of big parties and dancing, but then she supposed he had no choice.

Ava could feel the stares of the partygoers the longer she stood there without a partner. Just as she was wondering if she should make a hasty exit, someone pushed through the crowd. This man was about the same height as both Caspian and Sinaaq and well-built beneath the velvety, scarlet fabric of his costume.

He wore a simple, golden half-mask, made to look like a like a roaring lion's face and it brought out the gold highlights in his brown, curly hair. His skin was tanned as if he spent much of his time outside and his long beard and curly hair were perfectly groomed. Beneath the mask, this man had gentle eyes that were an intriguing mixture of green and blue with hints of brown.

Though Ava couldn't see his face, she guessed him to be about the same age as Caspian. He made his way to the advisor, bowed, and held out his hand.

"May I have the honor of dancing with you, milady?" he asked, his voice was quite pleasant, thick with an accent that was clearly from Archenland.

Ava smiled and took his hand, hoping that this fellow actually knew how to dance. It was always annoying when one had to teach a partner mid-dance.

"I would be delighted," she answered as the stranger led her into the dance.

Ava was an experienced dancer, yet this man matched her move for move. As they moved, she smiled and laughed; she was pleased to have a worthy dance partner. Though she was enjoying herself, her eyes still flickered around the room for Sinaaq whenever she was able. She could barely see him through the crowd and she wondered if he was still there. Every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of him, still engrossed in his book.

The dance ended and a slower song began. This time, Ava and the stranger were able to converse during the dance, barely noticing that everyone else had paired up and joined them.

"So, who do I have to thank for rescuing me from embarrassment?" Ava asked. The stranger smiled.

"August, milady," he answered, his voice raising goosebumps on Ava's neck. Something about him was drawing her to him and she was certain it was more than his looks or his accent.

"So what brings you to this masquerade, Sir August?" she asked, looking up at him.

"The king of Archenland seldom goes anywhere without his sons," August replied. "And it's just August, if it pleases you, milady."

"I was unaware that the king of Archenland had another son," Ava responded in surprise.

"He does now," August replied with a hint of amusement. "He adopted me when I was a boy."

"Then why have I never heard of you?" Ava asked, tilting her head in confusion. Surely the world would know about the king of Archenland adopting a child. August gave a smirk that was only slightly derisive.

"No one ever hears about the adopted children of royals as they will never inherit the throne," he answered. "No matter though, I quite enjoy not being the center of attention, it gives me the leisure to indulge in my hobbies." At these words, Ava smiled a bit. She was beginning to rather like this man.

"And what might these hobbies be?" she asked, intrigued. August shrugged a bit.

"Nothing too fancy, milady. Mostly reading and learning to play any instrument I can get my hands on. Occasionally I'll indulge in some swordplay," he replied.

"Ever try archery?" Ava asked curiously.

"A bit, but it's not my strong suit," August admitted with a small smile.

"Maybe you just need a good teacher," Ava said with grin, which her dance partner returned.

"Aye, maybe. Do you happen to know any?" he said jestingly.

"Oh, I know of one, but she is here in Narnia," Ava answered with a wink.

"That is a shame. We are heading back to Archenland first thing tomorrow," August said.

"Well, perhaps another time then," Ava said, doing her best not to sound a bit disappointed. She decided to change the subject. "So where did you come from before the king adopted you, if I may ask?"

"No one knows. The king found me while he was hunting, looking like a beggar the way he tells it. Says no one could get me to say anything except my name," August answered, seeming almost puzzled by his own past.

This new information had piqued Ava's curiosity; could it be that she had finally found someone with a similar past to hers? She wondered if the two incidents were connected and if they meant anything. She thought about telling August of her own past, but chose not to; she still did not _really_ know him and felt it was best not to become _too_ friendly with him so quickly.

The dance ended and Ava curtseyed to August and excused herself. The advisor looked around with the intent of discreetly searching for Sinaaq. However, when she saw him, she felt bile rise in her throat; he was speaking with a blonde woman. She was a human, guessing by her mannerisms and appearance.

The woman could not have been younger than Ava; she was taller than her, though that wasn't saying much. The advisor felt a fire burn inside her, starting in her belly and radiating up through her chest, though she knew such feelings were irrational. This woman was dressed like a tavern wench, showing _much_ more cleavage than what was acceptable, even by Calormene standards. More importantly, she was all over Sinaaq, taking flirting to a new level.

Ava could not tell from where she stood how Sinaaq was reacting, but she bit her tongue when she saw him laugh at something the woman said. Why it bothered her so much, she did not know. She had never thought herself to be the jealous type, but then, she'd also never been in a situation such as this one before now.

As she drew discreetly closer, the woman's irritating voice became easier to discern, though what she was saying was still unclear. Ava did not realize she was glaring at the woman with the fury of a storm.

What happened next was something she had not expected. The liquid in the woman's goblet appeared to leap out of its vessel and splash her in the face. The woman shrieked and dropped the goblet. Ava stood gaping, too shocked to be delighted by her handy work—or to be certain she had really caused it—as the woman cursed. Luckily, the only thing the wine had done was turn the woman's skin red and smear her layers upon layers of make-up.

Suddenly, as if feeling her gaze on him, Sinaaq looked up and right at her. Ava felt the blood drain from her face. She did not know how, but she knew that Sinaaq knew it was her doing. Before anyone could chat her up or ask her to dance, she was fleeing the room as discreetly as possible, feeling ashamed.

* * *

Ava sat in the gardens, trying her damnedest to refrain from crying, for fear of smearing her own make-up. She supposed she deserved it. What was that line about things coming back threefold? It was horribly hot outside, especially for the month of Samonios.

How _had_ the wine jumped out of the goblet anyway? Alcohol did not have _that_ much water in it did it? Ava wanted to believe it had not been her fault, but after the mysterious incident during her bath, there seemed to be no other logical explanation. _What has become of me?_ She pondered sullenly.

Suddenly, a throat cleared behind her. She inhaled deeply, recognizing the scent of leather, smoke, and mint—that almost resembled mountain air, pine trees, and charred firewood—that was Sinaaq. She found it ironic that, even though her hearing had greatly improved, the man was still able to sneak up on her. She sighed and turned to face him, hoping he would not know she had been ready to cry.

"Yes?" she asked, keeping her voice level. Try as she might, she was having a difficult time keeping the venom out of her tone.

"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Sinaaq asked, crossing his arms like a father scolding his child. Ava stood up so that he could not look down at her as much.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she insisted, staring directly at him, though focusing on his forehead rather than his eyes.

"Oh I think you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. I'm not sure how, but I _know_ you had something to do with Jessalyn spilling her wine," Sinaaq pressed.

The advisor snorted. _Jessalyn. How delightful,_ she thought bitterly. She then silently scolded herself. When had she become so petty? She wondered. She decided that denying what she had done anymore would be pointless; Sinaaq had a way of knowing things even when it seemed impossible.

"That was a very petty act of you. I would expect more from the king's advisor," Sinaaq admonished.

"Do _not_ admonish me, Sinaaq. I am not _just_ the king's advisor! I happen to be a woman with emotions! Emotions that _you_ would know nothing about!" Ava snapped, her jaw quivering with rage and her grey eyes blazing like hot metal. She had no idea what had possessed her to say such things and found that she did not like it one bit.

"I know you are a woman. It's hard not to notice. And what emotions are you referring to? The ones you target at me perhaps?" Sinaaq said.

Ava stopped short, staring at him like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. The man met her gaze with one of his own. She bit her tongue until she tasted blood in order to keep the tears at bay; she clenched her fists, wincing as her nails dug into her palms. The more emotional she became, the more the weather changed, though she did not notice. Clouds shrouded the stars, pouring down steaming hot rain, sleet, and hail all at once.

"So are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Sinaaq asked, an accusing tone in his voice. Ava refused to look at him.

"I think not," she said defiantly, turning to leave.

" _No!_ " Sinaaq's exclamation was enough to stop her from fleeing, though she did not turn around to face him.

"No more avoiding the subject. Tell me the truth," he demanded. Ava's bottom lip quivered and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth.

"I cannot," she said, her voice breaking.

"Why not?" Sinaaq asked, his voice slightly less harsh than before.

"Because I'm not even sure myself," Ava answered.

"Tell me anyway. Our lives cannot become much more complicated than they already are," Sinaaq pressed. The advisor spun around to face him.

"I believe, Sinaaq, that I have come to fancy you over the short time you've been here," she confessed, albeit begrudgingly.

Sinaaq should have looked taken aback, but instead, he seemed to already know what she would say.

"Why did you not tell me?" he asked. Ava threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Because it would not change anything. You are not accustomed to courtship. You are accustomed to meaningless physical activities with women you don't much care for. And let us just say you fancied me back, we both _know_ you would never tell me. And let us not forget: _you are a criminal!_ "

Sinaaq stared at her for a long time; whether he was hurt by her words or not, it was difficult to tell.

"Is that really what you think?" he asked.

"I have no idea _what_ to think! All I know is that you both intrigue and frustrate me!" Ava exclaimed in frustration.

For a few achingly long moments, both of them were silent. Ava's body was trembling with anger and she wanted to scream, but she did not want to attract attention. Sinaaq made to step towards her, but was afraid the action would make her run, so he settled for planting his feet right where he was. The hailing had stopped and the steaming rain gave way to snow.

They stared each other down until Ava realized where they were standing, allowing a couple of tears to escape; they were in the same place they had been when she had died.

"Oh, to hell with it!" Sinaaq exclaimed suddenly.

Before Ava knew what he was doing he had closed the distance between them and kissed her hard on the mouth. This time, she did not fight him, but instead reciprocated until at last he broke the kiss.

She stared up at Sinaaq in a daze for a moment, trying to think of something to say, but finding no words.

However, before either of them could speak, a deep rumbling chuckle was heard a few feet away from them. The two froze, the blood draining from their faces as they turned in the direction the chuckle came from.

First one, large, white paw stepped forward from the darkness, then another, until at last, the face of Amarok, staring at them with the utmost evil in his eyes, appeared from the shadows.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he taunted.

Sinaaq grabbed the advisor's wrist and pulled her to him, pushing her behind him and shielding her with his body. Ava was too terrified to huff at him in frustration; this wolf _was_ responsible for her death after all.

"Be gone, Amarok, I will not fight you here," Sinaaq commanded.

"Then it shall be all too easy to kill you and the pretty one," Amarok replied.

From deep within the shadows of the night, wolves appeared one by one, snarling and growling deep in their chests. All of them were huge, which suggested that they were likely talking wolves. Amarok had brought an _army_. Ava glanced between the wolves she had known and Sinaaq, the man who had tried to save her life.

"I guess making amends did not go so well, huh?" she mumbled.


	12. Shocking Revelations

**Disclaimer:** I own _**nothing**_ except Ava, Melody, Sinaaq (in a manner of speaking), August, and the Guardians. I do not own Night Elves, but I do own the physician character.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _Angels_ by Within Temptation, _Ice Queen_ by Within Temptation

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Shocking Revelations**

Ava stared at the wolves over Sinaaq's shoulder. He had not responded to her comment; he was too busy watching the predator, waiting for them to attack. She saw Bane and Matias standing next to Amarok at the head of the small army.

"How could you do this?" she asked, her voice full of accusation.

"How could you allow this killer to go unpunished?" Bane retorted. The advisor was taken aback.

"It was an honest mistake!" she exclaimed; never mind the fact that Sinaaq _had_ been given a punishment of sorts. The wolves snorted.

"That is what _he_ has _told_ you. How do you know he has not been fooling you, and the king, this entire time?" Matias pointed out.

Ava's stomach churned. She had not thought of that. _No, he couldn't be lying_ , she told herself. Why would someone who tried to save her life, who mourned her death, who protected her now, lie to her?

She thought about it for a moment and began to find fault where before she had seen none; he had not lied to _her_ , at least not directly, he had lied to _Caspian_. It could have been his way to escape a harsher punishment. She kept thinking, and the more she did, the more her thoughts and feelings seemed to contradict each other. Though she stayed standing behind Sinaaq, she took her hands off of him and stepped back so there was at least a couple inches of space between them.

Sinaaq felt this and wanted to look back at her in question, but he could not afford to take his eyes off of the wolves.

Amarok was smiling in the way that only a wolf could. He had successfully planted a seed of doubt in the woman's mind, that much was obvious.

"We are simply uniting against a common enemy," Matias snarled.

"And once Amarok is freed and able to possess whoever he chooses, what will you do then?" Sinaaq pointed out. The beta wolves paused for a moment, seeming to think it over.

"What Amarok does to the humans is not our concern. We look after our own kind," Bane snarled.

Ava swallowed the betrayal she felt inside and turned her attention to Amarok. She needed to figure out what his plan was. After all, what was so desirable about being able to possess any animal you chose when the body of a direwolf was more than adequate? She briefly wondered if he wanted to possess something like a hedgehog and snorted at the thought.

Her gaze locked on him and his evil, silver eyes met her grey ones. She searched him for several moments, trying in vain to see what he was planning.

"Am I to understand that you are doing all of this just to kill _me_ , Amarok? I'm flattered, Sinaaq said. Amarok chuckled darkly.

"You are merely _part_ of a much bigger plan," the wolf answered.

"Care to share it with the rest of us?" Ava asked scathingly, an escape plan forming in her mind. The wolf chuckled again.

"You shall find out soon enough, little one. Unless, you would like to join me?"

Ava snorted in disgust. "No, thank you."

"No? Such a shame. You might have been able to rule at her side," Amarok said, turning his gaze to Sinaaq who merely stood there, staring back, his jaw and his fists clenched.

 _Her?_ Ava wondered. She thought about it for a long time, but was having trouble thinking as she was currently engaged in trying to create a heavy mist between her and the wolves.

"This world is dying, Amarok; there won't be much left to rule before long," Sinaaq pointed out.

"A dying world is no match for her growing power," Amarok replied haughtily.

Ava's brow furrowed in confusion. Her eyes flickered toward the ground as discreetly as possible, seeing that a significant amount of heavy fog had accumulated around them, rising steadily till it was up to her knees. She needed to concentrate harder.

Her vision clouded and her eyes turned a _solid_ , pale grey; her curls began to tremble as if being tossed by wind, but the air was eerily still. The fog had become much too opaque for anyone to see through as it rose higher and higher.

Ava subconsciously opened her hands, palms facing forward, as if giving the fog a push towards the wolves. She groaned once, the power beginning to overwhelm her, and thrust her hands forward. The fog seemed to attack the wolves, obscuring them from sight.

When she was sure the fog would hold for a moment, she grabbed Sinaaq by the wrist and took off running toward the palace door she had come out of. She used all her power to run faster, all her weight on the balls of her feet, since she was still wearing heels, as she dragged the man along behind her.

As her chest started burn from the effort, she reached the door, slamming up against it and fumbling with the doorknob. She heard the angry howls of the wolves getting closer. At last, the door opened and she pushed Sinaaq inside, following him and slamming the door behind them. She locked it and leaned her head against the thick wood, reinforced by iron, panting heavily.

"Are you alright?" Sinaaq asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Ava froze; his touch was like ice to her now. She straightened up, but did not turn to face him.

"Oh yes, I'm _quite_ alright," she said.

Before Sinaaq could say another word, she spun around and punched him square in the nose. His face contorted in pain and shock as his hand flew to his bleeding nose. He looked into her grey eyes through his watery ones, which stared at him with seething hatred.

"Ava…what…?" he stuttered as his blood poured down his tunic.

"I should have told the king to lock you away where no one would ever find you, you traitorous bastard!" she exclaimed, rage and hurt consuming her.

"I didn't—"

"Spare me the lies, Sinaaq," Ava hissed.

"As a matter of fact, _little one_ , he's not _completely_ lying," a voice said. The advisor froze, her gaze turning to the source of the voice.

"Jessalyn?" she asked incredulously.

The woman stood there, mere feet away, a smug smile marring her already cruel features, her hands on her hips.

"Actually, my name is not Jessalyn," she answered, her voice growing more poisonous. "It's _Jadis_."

Ava felt her chest tighten painfully; it was as if her heart was in her throat. She had read the journals of King Edmund the Just and she had spoken with Caspian about her and she knew _exactly_ what the White Witch had done the last time she had been in power.

"Impossible! Jadis is dead!" Ava exclaimed, trying not to stammer.

"That was the _old_ me. Reincarnation can be a wonderful thing," Jessalyn responded.

"Really? I don't see how it's done you much good—you look like a hag," the advisor retorted, recovering a little from the initial shock.

"You are not in much of a position to be spewing insults, girl, Sinaaq is going to die," Jessalyn pointed out.

Ava's brow furrowed in confusion. Before she could say a word, however, the witch answered her stare by retrieving a dagger from her bodice and hurling it into the side of Sinaaq's neck.

The advisor gasped and knelt in front of Sinaaq, pressing her hands frantically to his neck. Her panic grew as his blood seeped through her fingers. Jessalyn watched smugly.

"In truth, he _did_ betray all of you, so you should not mourn him," she said, sounding delighted with Ava's grief.

"What?" Ava asked, looking up at her, eyes full of panic and pain.

"How else do you think he just _happened_ to fall unconscious at Cair Paravel of all places? He was meant to find a way into the castle and procure information of the Guardians so that I may gain use of their powers or stop the next ones from being chosen," Jessalyn answered.

"So…the blood transfusion…it was all to gain my trust?" Ava asked quietly.

"Well, not _exactly_. He was supposed to gain your trust, saving your life just happened to occur along the way. It was quite helpful though," Jessalyn admitted.

"And the wolves he killed?" Ava asked.

"Wolves that were loyal to you and Caspian—though _he_ doesn't know that. I just pointed him in their direction and let him hunt. Killing those wolves gave us a way to get Sinaaq into the palace," the witch explained, seemingly unconcerned that her plans had been revealed.

"And Amarok?" the advisor pressed.

"That part was _not_ a lie," Jessalyn answered. "Sinaaq never knew that Amarok was in league with me, or else he would not have joined me. In truth, he did not know who I was either, or he almost certainly would not have helped me. He merely wanted the power of the Guardians to help him take down Amarok. He just needed a little inspiration, which I provided nicely. He had no idea his _wife_ had bigger plans."

"His _wife_!?" Ava choked out, dropping her hands from Sinaaq's neck, disregarding the pool of blood that had gathered, soaking her dress.

Jessalyn took a simple, gold ring out of her pocket and tossed it at her. It landed with a heart-stopping _clink-clink_ on the floor in the pool of blood. Ava felt sick and ashamed of herself all of sudden.

"Yes, I married him. I knew that would be the only way I could get close enough to him to convince him to do any of this," the witch said. "It was all supposed to be so simple: he would find a way in, gain your trust, procure the needed information, and then leave. After that, he was either going to rule at my side while I took my rightful place as queen of Narnia, or I would kill him. I did not expect him to take this long, nor did I expect him to start to fancy you."

Ava stared down at Sinaaq's now lifeless body in complete shock and utter horror.

"Yes, he fancied you. I wouldn't call it _love_ , but he was certainly starting to change his mind about me, I couldn't have that. Which is why I sent Amarok to reveal his betrayal, I knew you'd never trust him again after that."

"Why would you kill Sinaaq? You must know that you have trapped Amarok in his prison forever?" the advisor asked. The witch looked nonchalant.

"I _cannot_ have the wolf gaining more power than me. He'd turn on me the moment the curse broke!" she pointed out. "This way I don't have any distractions. As Narnia dies I grow stronger and with the demon of the snows at my disposal, it's only a matter of time before everything is complete," she answered. Ava wondered why she was so willingly divulging this information.

"You will _never_ take Narnia!" the advisor exclaimed, standing up, retrieving the dagger from Sinaaq's neck with a sickening _squelch_ , blood saturating her gown.

She threw the dagger at the witch, but Jessalyn merely grabbed it from the air and tossed it aside as if it were nothing.

"Tsk, tsk. You really think that is enough to kill me? Come now, surely you must be smarter than that," she said as she looked down at the scene before her, seemingly bored. "Well, this has been _quite_ enjoyable, but I'm afraid I must go now. Don't worry, you'll see me again soon enough. Until we meet again, little one."

And with that, Jessalyn unlocked the door, opened it, and strolled away into the night while Ava looked on, frozen in shock and fear.


	13. Dreams

**Disclaimer:** I only claim ownership of Ava Rydia, Melody, Sinaaq, Jessalyn, August, the physician, and the Guardians, _**nothing else**_.

 **Songs for this chapter:** _Discord the Living Tombstone Remix_ by Eurobeat Brony (again, no judgment please), _Lion_ by Rebecca St. James, _Held_ by Natalie Grant, and possibly _Full of Grace_ by Sarah McLachlan

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Dreams**

Ava stood in a pool of Sinaaq's blood, frozen in horror. She had no idea how long she'd been standing there before she felt the presence of someone else enter the room. She snapped out of her reverie, inhaling slightly. The scent was soft and comforting, like a mixture of cedar wood and musk with touches of lavender and mint. She thought she had smelled the fragrance before, but she could not be certain.

Nevertheless, she whirled around, her hands up in a defensive stance, and almost punched August—who had removed his mask and was surveying the scene with a look of astonishment. Quickly, she dropped her hands, but remained tense and ready to fight or run. The man put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"It's just me, milady," he said, his voice soft and cautious.

"I can see that, August. What are you doing meandering about in the halls alone?" the advisor replied, trying—and failing—to keep her voice from shaking.

"Well I could ask you the same thing, but I can see you've got enough on your hands already without me asking questions," August answered, gesturing to Sinaaq's body.

Ava looked at the body and took a shuddering breath. When she looked back up at August, her eyes were wide like a doe's and she was trembling.

Seeing this, the man's brow furrowed and he took a tentative step toward the frightened woman, a hand outstretched to place on her arm carefully. When she didn't flinch away from him, he placed a large, gentle hand on her shoulder. Had Ava not been in shock, she might have noticed that her body seemed to warm where August touched her; like the heat of a cozy fire.

"What happened here?" he asked.

Ava was so distraught that she could only stammer incoherently until she collapsed to her knees and burst into tears. August caught her and eased her down to the floor, rubbing her back awkwardly; he was not sure that _he_ should be the one to comfort her, but it also didn't seem right to leave her to fetch someone else. He tried his best to keep her from hyperventilating. He said nothing. What could be said? August did not even know what had taken place before he had happened upon the lady.

After a few moments, which seemed like a few hours, Ava stopped crying. She composed herself, blotting her face with the back of her hand and stood up, smoothing her ruined gown. She had broken, but now she needed to be strong again and somehow this man had helped her find the strength she needed for now. She exhaled and turned to look at August, who was watching her carefully, ready to catch her should she break down again.

"Tell no one what you have seen here, we need not get the subjects of Narnia in an uproar. Find the king and tell him to meet me here," she said with an air of authority in her voice.

"I don't think you should be alone right now," August replied hesitantly.

"We don't have time to worry about me. … The White Witch has returned," Ava said gravely. Surely everyone had heard of Jadis.

At those words, August nodded and hurried away, albeit reluctantly, to find the king.

Ava stared down at Sinaaq's body, her visage cool and unreadable. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, deciding not to waste words on someone who could not hear them anyway.

* * *

Sinaaq was given a traitor's funeral; he was given his last rights, and then buried in an unmarked grave deep in the woods.

Ava had become quite reserved over the passing days, completely focused on preparing an army to fight Jadis and Amarok and learning about the Guardians. They were running out of time, for although the element of water had ceased to rage, the other elements were steadily growing worse.

There was an increasing amount of discord among the citizens of Narnia, as if some invisible force was whispering in everyone's ears, turning the people against each other, making them angry and fearful.

Flash fires occurred regularly, and the only plants left alive were the poisonous vines, which would catch and consume any living creature that ventured too close. Sometimes, the flowers would spit creatures back out, gnarled and changed to grotesque monsters or drained of life altogether.

The nights and days were never the same anymore; people found themselves sleeping during sunny afternoons and awake while the moon was out.

One day, while reading the scroll about the Guardians for the umpteenth time, Ava had fallen asleep on a divan in her room. As she slept, she tossed and turned restlessly, plagued by images of Amarok, Jessalyn, and Sinaaq. This time, she found herself once more kneeling over Sinaaq's bloody corpse, the dagger that killed him in her hand, while Jessalyn laughed maniacally behind her.

All at once, the nightmare changed. Ava looked around in her dream, confused—there was no sign that Sinaaq and Jessalyn had ever been there and there was no blood to be found anywhere. A warm light lit up the room, and when it dissipated, Aslan was standing in front of her, smiling warmly.

"Aslan!" she exclaimed, rushing to him and wrapping her arms around him tightly, weeping into his mane with a mixture of joy and sorrow. Even though she had never before seen the lion, she felt as though he was her closest friend in the world.

"Hello again, my Shepherd," the Great Lion replied, his voice a deep, rumbling chuckle.

"Oh, Aslan, I do not know what to do! Narnia is dying and I don't know how to stop it! And Sinaaq…he…" Ava trailed off, her voice hitching in her throat.

"I know, dear one, I know all that has happened," Aslan said, nuzzling her hair.

"Then why have you not come sooner?" the woman asked, sounding a bit frustrated, but unable to be upset with the Great Lion.

"All things in time," he answered.

"I'm so lost. I don't understand why you made me your Shepherd—I'm not cut out for this at all," Ava lamented.

"I would not have chosen you if you were not cut out for it, dear one. Contrary to your belief, you are just the right woman for the job," Aslan replied with a warm smile.

"What do you mean?" Ava asked, tilting her head in confusion. The lion chuckled.

"One day you'll understand, but rest peacefully," he said.

Before the woman could say more, the Great Lion breathed on her face and the dream faded away, leaving her in a deep, restful sleep.


	14. Go Ask Alice

**Author's Note:** Yes, I know I'm horrible for going so long without adding a chapter—stupid writer's block. Before I wrote this chapter, I went back and did a lot of editing on the previous chapters, so if something confuses you, you may need to go back and skim the other chapters. If you haven't tried listening to the playlist while reading the story, I recommend it—it adds to the experience.

 **Warning:** In this chapter it is mentioned that the character was raped. It is not in any way depicted and there are absolutely zero details given, but if the mention of such things upsets you, you may want stop reading at the line "surrounded by evil" and pick up again at the line "She was in the cafeteria when it happened".

 **Disclaimer:** I only claim ownership of Ava, Melody, Sinaaq, the physician, August, Alice, Jessalyn, and the Guardians. This chapter will be focused on Alice.

 **S** _ **ong(s) for this chapter:**_ _Where Is My Mind?_ _by Yoav ft. Emily Brown,_ _White Rabbit_ _by Jefferson Airplane_

 _ **Review! I love reviews! Reviews make me happy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13: Go Ask Alice**_

 _Alice found herself in an unfamiliar forest in the dark of night. The only light she had was the light of the swollen, silver moon. Once her eyes adjusted, she was able to see that she was in the middle of some sort of campsite. She walked around, taking in the details—the ones she could see anyway. The camp looked like it had been abandoned; it also looked as though it had been ransacked a long time ago. All that was left were the remains of a fire pit, crude furniture, and shreds of tents. Alice didn't understand why she was here or where "here" even was. It was eerily quiet and still._

 _As she strained her eyes to see farther, she noticed that enormous vines, about as big around as tree trunks with thorns like swords, had taken over the forest. Large flowers, big enough to encase a full grown man, randomly interspersed on the vines, were closed up for the night._

 _The sound of a twig snapping broke the silence, echoing all around and startling her. She whirled around to meet the maker of the sound and found herself face-to-face with a pair of massive, glowing, silver eyes. She gasped sharply…_

 _Alice clutched her head, groaning in agony as the vision faded. Once the pain subsided, she uncurled from the fetal position she had been in and stared up at the ceiling. She exhaled loudly as she tried to relax and slow her racing heart. The visions were becoming more frequent and vivid._ _Stupid dreams,_ _she thought._ _It's these damned images that landed me in this hell-hole in the first place._ _The thought made her eyes sting._

 _This "hell-hole" was a mental institution. There were people there of all ages, with a number of issues ranging from ADHD to Schizophrenia and so on. The worst cases—those considered a danger to others—were kept away from the rest of the "guests". The windows were barred, the premises was surrounded by a tall fence, completed with barbed wire coils on top, and the only places without surveillance cameras were the bathroom stalls and showers. Parents of the upper middle class and higher paid a fortune to hide relatives here, for however long the institution deemed fit._

 _Alice turned her head to look at the picture of her parents that was sitting on her night stand. There was no glass in the frame, in case she would get any ideas about hurting herself. She scowled at the picture and slammed it face-down._ _Yeah, I love you too, guys,_ _she thought bitterly. Knowing that she would be unable to focus on trying to sleep, she got up and decided to go down to the girls' recreation room to throw a few punches at one of the punching bags. She threw on a tank top and some track pants, headed out of her room, and started down the hallway._

 _It was almost midnight and everyone else was asleep. The only sound was the padding of Alice's feet on the linoleum floor. She sighed. Even though she had been at the school for seven years, it never seemed any less creepy, especially at night. She hated it. She hated everything about this place from the off-white walls, to the off-white ceilings, to the off-white linoleum floors, to the too-clean hospital smell._

 _She was used to being the oddball in the family—the black sheep if you will—but she had been utterly shocked and horrified when her parents told her they were sending her away._

 _"Concerned for her wellbeing" they had said. Alice snorted. The only thing they were concerned about was putting up with a "troubled" daughter._

 _Her and her parents had never seen eye to eye on things; when she started having visions things got worse. At first, it was just little things like extremely accurate episodes of déjà vu, and then it escalated to specific events like plane crashes and school shootings._

 _That was when her parents had started sending her to counseling. When the quack psychiatrist couldn't "fix" her, her mother had called a pastor to come speak to her to see if she was "surrounded by evil"._

 _The pastor her mother had found had been a fraud._ _Really, what do you expect when you look for pastors, specializing in exorcisms, online?_ _Alice thought with a derisive snort. During their one and only "session", which the man had_ _insisted_ _be in private, he had subdued and raped her. No one had believed her when she had tried to reveal what had been done._

 _Finally, when no other option had presented itself, her parents had decided to send her to the institution in hopes that they could "cure" her._

 _Alice clenched her jaw and blinked back the tears that had begun to sting her eyes. She thought that if she went long enough without talking about her dreams or her ordeal that the school would tell her parents she was fine and send her home. It almost worked._ _Almost_ _._

 _She was in the cafeteria when it happened—a vision hit her so hard she screamed and collapsed, dropping her tray. The nurses said she was mumbling incoherently about things that did not exist; things like another world burning, ripping itself apart, snowing one minute and forest fires the next. She had said there were large plants that corrupted people, made them soulless. She had said evil was coming and they weren't prepared._

 _After her migraine and her nosebleed were treated, the school's psychiatrist upped her dosage of anti-psychotics and notified her parents that her stay with them would be longer…much longer. Even though the nurses watched her take her pills, she had managed to get around that; throwing up wasn't ideal, but it worked. She_ _knew_ _she was not psychotic and she'd be damned if she was going to let those bastards keep her in a medicated fog._

 _Aside from her "visions" Alice had always thought of herself as a relatively stable, normal person when it came to the question of sanity. Even now, the only thing different about her was that she could predict things—usually things like attacks; they were_ _not_ _delusions as the things she saw_ _always_ _came true unless she was able to intervene._

 _She was not paranoid and she had no desire to harm herself or others. She had never been depressed until her parents had her locked away, but her depression manifested in anger more than any other emotion. The thing that scared her the most about herself was her ability to turn all her emotions off. She had been doing a lot of that lately. It had gotten to the point where she was forgetting how to turn them back on—except her fear of being apathetic forever._

 _Alice was brought out of her thoughts when she realized she was standing in front of the doors to the recreation room. She shook herself to clear her head and reached for the door handle. No sooner had her fingertips touched the cold metal did she hear something she hadn't heard on her walk down: the sound of heavy breathing behind her. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up on end and her breath hitched in her throat._

 _Somewhere in the back of her mind, it struck her as odd that the breathing sounded like the heavy panting of a dog, rather than a person, as there were no animals allowed on the grounds._ _You're just being paranoid, Alli, stop that,_ _she thought, but her gut told her she wasn't; her gut told her to_ _run_ _._

 _Without another thought, she bolted down the hallway to her right as fast as her legs could carry her. As she ran, she heard a clicking sound behind her like a dog running on linoleum, but if this was a dog it had to be something bigger than a Great Dane. Alice did not stop to look behind her, she just kept running down hallway after hallway, trying not to let her bare feet slip on the slick floor._

 _As she cleared a corner, she nearly ran into a cart of medical supplies; she hadn't realized that she had reached the medical wing. She managed to dodge the cart, using more grace than she remembered ever having, but whatever was behind her was not so lucky; it crashed into the cart, making noises loud enough to wake the whole building._

 _Alice ran to the end of the hall and then risked a glance at her assailant. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out as she stared directly at the pair of silver eyes from her latest vision; attached to those eyes was the largest wolf she had ever seen._

 _She wasted no more time gaping at the animal and began to run down the next hallway. This one ended in a door that had Roof Access written on it in big black letters. It was probably locked, but trying to open it was the only option she had right now. She grabbed the knob and turned it, surprised when the latch clicked and the door swung open. She threw it all the way open and started up the stairs, pausing only to slam and lock the door behind her._

 _By the time she reached the roof, she was out of breath and shaking with effort. She looked around, seeing nothing but the school grounds, which were out in the middle of the woods somewhere, far away from any other town._ _Great! I did the dumb, horror-movie chick thing and got myself cornered on the roof! Now what?_ _She thought as she looked around, but saw nothing that could help her climb down._

 _She heard the door when it imploded at the bottom of the stairwell and she heard when the wolf made it to the top of the stairs. She turned around to face it, steeling herself against the terror that made her heart thunder against her ribcage. With each step the creature took toward her, Alice took a step back._

 _This dance continued until she found herself at the edge of the building. She took her eyes off the wolf long enough to see what was below her—the institution's outdoor pool. She could kid herself into thinking that landing in the pool would save her if she fell, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe it._

 _Still, falling to her death sounded much more appealing than getting mauled to death by a giant wolf—since those were her only two options. Turning her attention back to the wolf with a defiant gaze, she raised her right middle finger in salute, and then let herself fall backward off the roof._

 _The air rushed past her, but only for a moment before she hit the water. Funny, she had not imagined it would happen so quickly, or that she would survive the initial impact. It hurt like hell and knocked the wind out of her, but she found herself surprisingly unharmed. She headed toward the surface of the water, noticing that it tasted like salt instead of chlorine, but she didn't think much of it, after all, it wasn't the weirdest thing that had happened that evening._

 _When her head broke the surface and she was able to look around, she saw that she was no longer in the swimming pool, but instead found herself wading in what appeared to be a vast ocean._

 _Exhausted from her chase with the wolf, Alice's eyes rolled back in her head and she sank beneath the waves._


	15. Burning Heart

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I do _**not**_ own Narnia, or any other pop culture things referenced or any songs.

 **Song(s) for this chapter:** _Come Wake Me Up_ by Rascal Flatts, _Full of Grace_ by Sarah McLachlan (or her song _Fallen_ ), _I Knew You Were Trouble_ by Taylor Swift

 **Please review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Burning Heart**

In the days following Ava's dream about Aslan and the Guardians, she had focused all of her energy on trying to find someone that she felt magically drawn to, but her efforts had thus far been in vain.

She spent the majority of her time training—specifically training herself to control her newfound elemental powers.

Currently, she was in the library, pouring over stacks of books and piles of scrolls pertaining to magic, the elements, and the Guardians. Truth be told, all this work was better than facing the disasters happening just outside the walls of Cair Paravel; it was _much_ better than facing the storm of feelings swirling inside her heart. She was willing to do anything to take her mind off thoughts of Sinaaq.

She blinked several times, trying to clear her mind, but it was of no use—she had been reading the same sentence over and over again for at least an hour now.

"Ava?"

The voice broke the silence so suddenly that she nearly fell backward in her chair. As it was, she jumped and whirled around, hands up and ready to douse the intruder with water.

"Whoa! Ava it's me!" Caspian exclaimed, his hands shielding himself from a possible attack.

Ava clenched her hands into fists and bit her tongue, concentrating on _not_ enveloping the king in a torrent of scalding or freezing water.

"Caspian, I would have thought you would know by now not to startle me," she snapped.

"Sorry, I'll look into wearing a bell around my neck," Caspian retorted. His advisor glared daggers at him.

"Was there something you needed to discuss with me, Caspian?" she asked, trying to relax—a feat that was proving harder and harder these days.

"As a matter of fact, there is," the king replied as he pulled up a nearby footstool and sat down next to her.

The look on his face told Ava that he was about to discuss something serious; he almost looked like a concerned parent. Her brow furrowed and she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach that suggested she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"All right then…what is it?" she asked slowly.

"Ava…I really don't know how to go about this. I have practiced talking to you about this a dozen times, but nothing I say ever seems right. I suppose, the best way to say this, is to get right to it," Caspian began awkwardly.

"Something you're failing at horribly," the advisor pointed out.

The king grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed, looking up at her. His eyes held the utmost sympathy.

"Ava, you need to stop what you're doing and grieve," he said at last.

Ava was taken aback. She could not understand what he was talking about, though a nagging voice in the back of her head said she was lying to herself.

"What in all of Narnia are you talking about?" she asked.

"I'm talking about Sinaaq. Listen, I do not know what happened between the two of you, and it's not my business to know, but you have made it pretty clear that he _was_ important to you. It's understandable—he _did_ try to save your life after all," Caspian answered, his answer turning into a bit of a ramble.

By now, Ava had stood up and had turned her back to him, trying to keep the swell of her emotions under control before she destroyed half the library with rain. Her heart thundered painfully against her ribcage.

"You have been obsessing over anything that keeps you busy and you're avoiding contact with those who care about you," the king pressed. "You are not dealing with your pain, and it's destroying you."

"Life _is_ pain, Caspian, and I'm dealing with it the best way I know how: by doing my job," Ava replied scathingly. "I am the _Shepherd_ ; I cannot afford to be weak. I'm needed too much right now. The world is falling apart! An army led by a reincarnated witch and a demonic wolf is breathing down our necks, and I'm supposed to lead the ones responsible for saving us all!"

"Even leaders need to grieve, Ava. If you do not, you won't be able to do what you have been chosen for," Caspian pointed out, his voice pleading her to see reason. "I don't know how to help you, but I know that losing someone hurts more than you can bear. I know that, when it happens, you don't know how to keep living, or why you _should_ ," he paused. "But you _have_ to keep living—for yourself. And _you_ don't have to do it alone. Becoming an empty shell is the worst way to live."

The advisor said nothing. She was trembling all over and trying desperately to keep hot tears from escaping. The only thing she wanted right now was to be alone. Caspian waited for her to respond, but when she did not he gave up and turned to leave. He paused at the door and turned back to her.

"If you won't do it for _yourself_ , do it for the rest of us. We need you, Ava. More than you know," he urged quietly. He left without another word.

As soon as she heard the door close, Ava began to sob; she did not understand and that was what hurt the most.

She knew there were varying degrees of good and evil the world—very few people were completely black and white—but Sinaaq had been a complete puzzle to her. She did not understand why somebody who didn't love you would save your life.

She knew of men who professed to love women simply to get them into bed, but she had never known someone to go _out of their way_ to protect somebody they did not love.

At first, she thought he had done it because he needed her to call the other Guardians, but then she remembered that it was her _death_ that gave her the power of the Shepherd to begin with; there was no way Sinaaq could have known what the blood transfusion would do. The physician hadn't even known.

The wondering was killing her. Ava had never been one to let go of something she did not understand; she obsessed over anything that confused her until she had it figured out. It was worse now because it involved someone she had let into her heart. She had not meant to let him in, but he'd made it so easy—which made the betrayal hurt that much more.

 _You knew what he was the moment you saw him_ , Ava told herself. _He was a criminal, a killer! You knew by the way he looked at you and the way he stole that kiss—he was trouble wrapped in a pretty package._

The thought made her sob harder. She supposed she could only blame herself for the pain she felt now; she let in a man who had a mysterious background, someone she knew nothing about. She trusted a murderer with her emotions.

Ava pounded her fists against the floor, which she had sunk to, until they hurt. She felt like such a fool. Of course Sinaaq would save her life! It _did_ make sense. If he saved her life, then she and Caspian would be indebted to him and he could use her life to bargain for his freedom. How could she have missed that? Still, something did not sit right in her stomach; she felt like there was more to it than that and she _hated_ it.

She reigned in her sobbing and tried to steady her breathing. Hyperventilating certainly would not make her feel better. She sat up straighter and tried to think. She wanted to move on, to forget about any feelings she had for Sinaaq, but she wasn't sure how to go about it. More importantly, she _needed_ to move on—for Narnia and for Aslan. Right now, her country—her world—needed a strong leader, someone they could look to for guidance.

She did not know _how_ she was going to make it through this, only that she _had_ to.

* * *

As the advisor trudged through the woods towards spot where Sinaaq's body had been buried, one thing was certain: the world was not burning today.

Fire and wind still raged on and there was discord amongst life and death, night and day, good and evil—but the earth was silent. It was almost as if the element itself had been appeased.

Ava's thoughts, however, were not on the elements at that moment; they were on her destination. Although Sinaaq's grave was unmarked, she knew exactly where it was; she had, after all, picked out the spot herself.

She finally reached the spot and stopped short. Her hands went slack, dropping the bundle of dried, blackened roses she had brought with her to symbolize the death of old habits as well as death itself.

The earth that had covered Sinaaq's body had been disturbed, almost as if something had tried to dig up his body. Instead of the expected pile of dirt nearby, however, it looked as if the grave had imploded. Ava felt her stomach churn. There was discord between life and death, which meant a number of things could have happened; things that she did _not_ want to think about.

* * *

Upon her hasty return to Cair Paravel, she was met on the front steps by the centaur in charge of her scouts. When he saw her approach, he did a quick bow, forgetting the usual grace and reverence that centaurs typically used. Ava frowned.

"What is it? Did something happen?" she asked anxiously, looking up at the centaur.

"Yes, Your Majesty. A Daughter of Eve was found washed up on the beach," he replied dutifully.


End file.
